


One More Great Adventure

by HarveyDangerfield



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adventure & Romance, Anal Sex, Angst with a Happy Ending, Coitus Interruptus, Drowning, Frottage, M/M, Near Death Experiences, Rape, Rape Aftermath, Rape Recovery, Rough Sex, Sexual Assault, Sexual Tension, Slow Burn, Stabbing, Surgery, Trauma, Whump
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-18
Updated: 2018-12-13
Packaged: 2019-02-16 17:43:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 17
Words: 90,577
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13058973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HarveyDangerfield/pseuds/HarveyDangerfield
Summary: Taako suddenly remembers that he sold the control soul gem he promised to protect during the robot cycle, and he enlists Magnus' help to track it down. Along the way they find adventure, peril, and a love they forgot.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> hey everybody! I'm writing this monster of a fic with my good good pal natto @nattoppet-dj on tumblr! 
> 
> I want to warn everybody ahead of time that eventually this fic is going to deal with some pretty dark themes like rape, past sexual assault and internalized rape apologism, all of which is exactly like it says on the tin. there will be heavy warnings on the chapters that deal directly with those themes, so pay attention to the chapter notes and take care of yourselves! 
> 
> that said, please enjoy this very long fic about these very good boys falling in love for the second time in a century

A century is a lot of time to consider, and to process. Its smallest moments could mesh together, suffuse and integrate until they’re indistinguishable. For Taako, that’s common. What wasn’t, was the fact that a whole eon was taken from him for ten long years. It hit harshly, and jumbled. The major parts came back first and quickly, like a drop of ink on a blank paper so old that the fibers were loose, absorbing the ink so quickly it didn’t had enough time to spread.

  
  
After they defeated the hunger, the seven of them leading the charge in front of all of known reality, it took a lot of talking to sort things out. For Taako, he had Lup to help fill in the gaps of his shaky, long stolen memories. As they had talked about each cycle, the meals they shared and the pain– the good times they had, and the bad, many things stuck with him each time they sat down and sorted. How some memories that Lucretia tampered with were split. She cleared that up as best she could, which helped tremendously. He did his best to try and remember slowly, in his own time, and contact Lup when he had enough questions and inconsistencies that he needed her help to straighten out the timeline. 

  
  
Going back over major cycles, Taako sat at the kitchen table alone with a fresh muffin. It was easy to make, something he could do now after slowly gaining his confidence back in cooking. Munching into the breakfast treat he thought about the cycle with the robots, how Lup and him had gone to loot up old metallic parts for the ship. He remembers the gun scene, when Lup had told him twice to count the shells just because he asked her to do it again. The lower tiers, the crystal full of souls– Where had he had it last again…?

  
  
And that’s when it had hit Taako.

  
  
“Fuck, I _sold_ that bitch!!” he exclaimed, muffin lost to his sudden realization, forlornly rolling along the table top. The wizard fetched his Stone of Far-Speech from the kitchen counter, left there when he had wished Kravitz a good day. Deft fingers rubbed over the smooth surface of the enchanted stone as he set it to a specific frequency, one that belonged to one Merle Highchurch. After greeting the old timer he asked about getting back the crystal. Merle apologized and refused gently, explaining that he was needed where he was at. Taako brushed off his disappointment in getting the trio back together to do some exploring like before, but it was expected. Merle was reconciling with his family, and was helping to reach out to the youth. All fair points. Without much thought afterwards– that will be for after he’s done being hellbent on getting at least one of these chucklefucks into saying yes- he changed the frequency on his Stone of Far-Speech to contact the rugged, hospitable human; Magnus.

  
  
“Hey Mango, uh– uh– so I was thinking, just had a thought– a moment of lucidity, rare I know, of uh– of getting back the crystal we up and found on that robot cycle? The– The one where you got all those arms from. Remember that, Mags? Anyway, just remembered I sold it, and figured; hey, it’s about time we get it back, right? You up for an adventure?”  
  
  
It’s been a while since Magnus heard from his old friend. After the whole end of the world thing, they all sort of went their separate ways, with their stones of far speech tuned to one another so they’ll never be out of touch for long.   
  


In the months after everything culminated, Magnus decided to leave for Raven’s Roost. Lucretia was working on reinventing her bureau into something humanitarian, and while Magnus respected that, he wanted to live on the ground again. He had a lot of thinking to do, and could think of no better way to spend his time than to get a fucking dog (at last) and work on repairing the decimated craftsman quarter of Raven’s Roost brick by brick, however long it takes him to finish, or until he gets bored, whichever comes first.  
  


It isn’t the first time he and Taako have spoken since parting ways, sometimes one of them will roll over in the middle of the night, assailed by old horrible memories and they’ll whisper into the stones to check if the other’s awake, and they almost always are. It’s been hard to get a decent night’s sleep since they got their memories back.   
  


“First of all, good to hear from you,” Magnus says with a chuckle, resting his hand on his hip and lifting his stone to his mouth with the other. “And second of all, hell yeah I do.”   
  


The warm voice made Taako feel more at ease. Of course Magnus would be on board. He should have thought to recruit the fighter before going to Mele, but boo-boo’s are boo-boo’s. He was glad for the enthusiasm, and picked up the muffin again in a slender hand.

  
“So, it’ll take a while to track down, I hope that’s okay with you, uh– Mags. Also yeah hey there good to talk to you too. I sold it first innnnn…. lesse….” It took a moment of recounting, this is almost eleven years looking back now, and with sorting out a whole century before that memory could be a little tricky to look at. “I think in– in uh… New Elfington. Ch’aboy’s old town,” he rambled, pacing the kitchen as he talked. With a lift of a finger the dishes and food from a meal earlier were taken cared of and out of the way, and he walked to his bedroom to get dressed accordingly.

  
  
“I can g– I can come over and elaborate, maybe look at a map or something,” he added, offering a visit. It was partially to just see his old friend but Taako won’t admit to something like missing Magnus.  
  
  
“For sure, how soon can you get here? Raven’s Roost is still in…” he pauses, looking around. “Quite a state. But I have one building cleared out so far and it’s clean. A little… leaning, but clean. We can make a plan of action once you get here.”

  
  
He pats his dog’s side, sitting down on the steps of his current home. “Hey, can I say something? I missed you, buddy. It’s great hearing your voice again, can you believe I actually missed it?”

  
  
“That’s pretty lame Mags– no it isn’t, I lied. I’m a liar,” Taako corrected himself. Right, showing feelings is okay. He cleared his throat and took a pause to eat at the muffin before continuing. “Missed you too, I mean. It’s been a while, right? And uh– uh– well that’s no prob, I can be there tomorrow morning and we can catch up. I’m going now but I’ll be over before you know it.”

  
  
Without waiting for a good-bye, Taako turned off the stone and looped the leather strap holding it around his neck as he picked his outfit for the day. Maybe some earthy tones…. A little mahogany…. inspired by Magnus, perhaps. 

  
With a burgundy shawl wrapped around his shoulders, replacing the usual cape, he glanced over the reds and faded purples and the sporting earthy green pants, he felt ready. Putting his hat on and taking up his bag he was ready… with a box of treats tucked away for the human.

 

 

===

 

 

  
Magnus wasn’t kidding when he said it was leaning a little, the cleared building made him pull a face that said ‘I don’t really want to be in there,’ but he stepped in regardless to call out to his old friend. “Hey, uh, I’d ask why you could handle the dust but I remember maybe the mushrooms from way early– when we second met, sort of– of gave you immunity or something to gross stuff getting in your lungs. Oh, and hi I’m here.”

  
  
Seconds later, he hears the rapid t _humpthumpthumpthumpthump_ of Magnus tearing ass across the second story at the sound of Taako’s voice, and careening down the stairs, gripping the banisters to keep from wiping out into the walls. He skips the last two steps, grinning from ear to ear, and without warning, scoops Taako up in a crushing bear hug. When the large man ran towards him Taako tensed up in preparation. Years of things coming at him full on flashing at the back of his mind and he had to fight his flight reflex– but honestly it’s Magnus, and he let the rowdy boy pick him up and yelped when his feet were no longer on the ground.There was no use fighting it, so Taako warmed up to Magnus and lightly gave back the hug. He was in a charitable mood. 

  
“It’s so great to see you again!” he thunders gleefully, his dogs bounding around them, boofing excitedly and sniffing out the treats Taako is carrying. Magnus finally sets the elf back on his feet and puts his hands on his hips. While Taako is fully dressed, Magnus is only in a sleeveless nightshirt and tight leathers- it appears that Taako woke him up. 

  
“You look good,” Magnus compliments genuinely, looking Taako up and down. “You look… happy.”  
  


Once on his feet again, the wizard fixed his shawl and put on a small little smile. It was bigger than his usual smirk, and indeed he looked happy.So many good things were happening around him, and it had been a good few months.

  
  
“I could say the same to you homie, you look like you could bench press a rhino– not to say you couldn’t before but uhhhhhh– Maggie, you got ripped,” Taako commented, admiring his friend’s physique. “Bet this is the best morning call you’ve ever gotten my man because your good friend Taako is here. With snacks. I have some for the– for them, but uh. You first.”

  
  
Taako offered the container and pulls out a baggie of home made dog safe treats. He remembered Magnus saying something about it, Taako thought, so it was a night of research and experimentation. Now that those two things were out of the way he steepled his fingers and chuckled through his nose at one of the dogs sniffing up his leg.

  
  
“Alright my man how do you want to do this?”

  
  
“First I’m gonna boogie down on this,” Magnus says, lightly shaking the container of treats Taako brought him. “Give me half an hour to eat breakfast and get dressed and we can head off to New Elfington. We have to make a pitstop through the nearby town, I have a friend there who’s gonna watch my dogs while we’re adventuring. Man it’s been a while since we’ve done that, huh?”

  
  
It hasn’t honestly been that long, especially in the grand scheme of how long they’ve lived, it’s only been about half a year altogether since they left the bureau to go their own ways. During that time they’d attended Carey and Killian’s wedding, which was sort of an adventure in its own right, but Magnus hadn’t beaten the life out of anything in months, and his drive to protect has been making him itch. 

  
He scarfs Taako’s gift and makes no secret of how overwhelmed he is with deliciousness by getting crumbs all over himself and making obscene noises, and then he quickly dresses upstairs in old familiar gear, with the chance lance and railsplitter strapped to his back, just in case. He leads Taako outside to where he has a wagon all loaded up with everything they’ll need for a journey up to a month, but it’s not actually connected to any animal to pull it. He pats the side of the cart and the dogs hop up inside under the curved tarp cover, and he takes his place at the front of the wagon, where an ox or something would usually go.   
  


“Climb in Taako, let’s get this show on the road.”

  
“Well don’t mind if I do, homie,” he replied, having sported a mildly amused expression for the majority of the wait time. In that time, though, Taako had recounted his inventory– most of his magical items never leave the bag, that was a given. He pulled out a book he was working on reading and tucked it under his arm as he hopped in with the dogs. He pet the nearest dog and made sure not a lick was given– no slobber thank you, that won’t do for Taako. “Hey, uh– uh– who exactly are you making babysit the poochies, my man? It’d have to be someone you trust a lot right?” Small talk wasn’t his specialty but boy did he try. Even after remembering everything it was hard for Taako to remember that yes he had friends that he liked talking to. A lot. It was a conscious effort, he remember Mags likes conversation. “I uh– don’t remember who lives nearby off the top of my head.”

  
  
There wasn’t a lot of room to stretch out, with the food supplies, sleeping gear, and back up items, and the dogs, Taako couldn’t lay out comfortably. He might cast levitate later if it gets too bumpy.  
  
  


“Yeah- you remember how I talk about Steven? The- my mentor, not the fish- he’s still fine, by the way- anyway, a friend of his survived the attack, someone I knew pretty well. A lady friend. I make goofs, but she was actually devastated when he died, they were kind of an on-off thing… anyway, yeah, she’s going to watch the dogs. Her name’s Hilde, she’s a sweet woman.”

  
  
The town is very nearby, as soon as they crest the first hill on the road to raven’s roost, it’s already visible, a little brown patch of houses among all the green, nestled between two hills in a little valley. Magnus is really only pulling the cart for about twenty minutes before they get there.

  
  
Hilde is a very large rosy-faced woman with a cloud of curly black hair and a skirt that probably weighs as much as Magnus, who gives him a great big hug, practically folding him into her wide, soft body. She tries to give Taako a hug too, but Magnus gently informs her that a handshake will do just fine.The woman was lovely if a bit… touchy, for Taako’s taste, but he greeted her all the same and tagged along. She greets the dogs lovingly by name, giving them treats from the many pouches of her apron skirt, gives Magnus another hug and a big kiss on the cheek, and sends him on his way. He pulls the cart around to her stable, where two large, strong horses are shifting their weight impatiently, ready to be let out to pasture for the morning.

  
  
“Hey Radcliffe,” Magnus pats the giant chestnut quarterhorse’s side, and bridles him to lead him out to the cart, which is hitched up in moments. He hops up into the driver’s seat and then pauses, looking back at Taako. “You ever drive a cart before?” he pats the seat beside him, silently offering lessons to the elf. The elf stopped and put his book away, the same one that had been in his hands this whole time.

  
  
“Uh, not really– I had a stage coach but my– uh, my assistant, Sazed, was the one that drove,” Taako uttered, eyebrows drawn up in a bit of surprise. He tried not to stutter at saying his old friend’s name, it was still a sore wound. the wizard moved himself to the front where Magnus was, hopping up with unnecessary grace before, in direct contrast, flopping himself down and leaning back languidly. 

  
  
“Alright kemo sabe, show ol’ Taako how it’s done. You hold the reins, do uh… a little ‘hiya’ and then go on your way, right?” A slender finger waves around as he talked, looking around the area. It really was a beautiful plot of land. If they had time he would have been interested in possible food, but they needed to get to New Elfington to start their hunt, instead of meandering through. The faster the better. Taako didn’t want Lup worrying where he went just yet. The next town was a few miles away anyway. If nothing came up then he’d give her a call with the Stone of Far Speech.  
  
  
  
“It’s a little bit more skill than ‘hiya,’ but you’ve got the idea,” Magnus chuckles, handing the reins off to Taako. “You don’t want to snap them too hard or tell him to go too loudly or he could take off at a gallop. Try a little tap and a ‘hup’ and he should get moving.”

  
  
When Taako Does That, the horse gives a little nicker and begins to trot at a pleasant pace, leading the cart back through town. “Hey, you did it,” Magnus grins, giving Taako’s back a little thump. “First time driving a cart! Now tug just a little bit on the right side when we get to the end of this road here, and he’ll turnnnnnnn…. now.” With Magnus’ direction, Taako is able to easily drive the cart. Magnus takes the reins back after about a mile so Taako can climb in through the opening behind them into the cart to relax. “So, tell me everything you’ve been up to since the BoB. I’ve been in pretty much the same place doing the same thing every day so I don’t really have anything exciting to tell you unless you wanna hear about the particulars of shingling and wainscotting.”   
  
  
“You know what I’m– I’m alllll good on shingling, my fella. By the way dope lesson. Uh.” After all the riding it left him shaking with adrenaline, but he hid it well. He popped his head out from the opening so he could talk with Magnus. The polished surface of the opening felt nice under the elf’s hands, and he focused on that while thinking back on the months since the Day of Story and Song, thinking of what Magnus hadn’t been told yet, possibly.

  
  
Taking that pause, Taako looked at the road before them, the stretch of dirt and grass and quiet that felt familiar, of old years that wane and overlap with the fake ones, and hummed.

  
  
“Lessee…. opened up my school…. took a vacay from my school…. went to the Astral Plane…. Hm. Oh– Lup and I had a Second Best Day Ever about a month ago. Her treat this time I guess– I don’t think I’ve told you this one, but check this. So we’re having the best breakfast ever– natch, and I thought she was going to let me nap like I did with her,” Taako rambled, hands animated and a small smile tugged at his lips. He told Magnus of an island with sand the color of the sky that he got to loot, and showed off a pendant from that trip. It was adorned in sapphires set in silver plating, the form of a crest in the delicate design. “Pretty dope, right? So anyway, uninhabited island, I go into this ca– oaaagh!!” Taako was cut off when the wheel bumped up from something being ran over, possibly a large rock, which made Taako careen backwards with an ungraceful yelp, disappearing from the window. A thud sounded firmly from inside with a groan from the wizard, and a few expletives.

  
  
Magnus can’t help but laugh heartily. He reaches out an arm behind him, offering Taako a hand to help him back up onto his knees. “Sorry, I’ll warn you about any more rocks. Didn’t want to interrupt- were you going to say cave?”

  
  
He listens with rapt attention to all of Taako’s stories, the way he weaves them is a little stammery, but always so vivid. And listening to the smile in his voice is enough to warm the cockles of Magnus’ heart. He can remember so easily how withdrawn and sordid Taako was, ever since he ‘met’ him in that tavern and all the way up until they recovered Lup- even a little beyond that, as he slowly got the hang of being a person again with hope for the future and something to look forward to. Watching him spread open like a morning glory these past few months has been nothing short of a religious experience, and a lesson in gratitude.

  
  
He realizes he was zoning out and shakes his head, tugging on the reins to get Radcliffe to stop drifting towards the edge of the road. “Shit, sorry, road hypnosis,” he says, blinking rapidly to stop the pink-colored fog from rising up to his brain from his heart. “You were saying?”  
  
  
  
Taako gave him an odd look before taking a sharp breath. After the tumble he held tighter onto the opening to keep stable, only one hand gesticulating with his words. “You need a sec, bubuleh? I’m just about done with the story I just was talking about dinner.”

  
  
Without prompting the wizard climbed out to help take the reigns so Magnus had a break. With supervision, and some nervous trembling that didn’t translate to his voice or face, Taako took charge of the cart as they approach a distant town, talking about the rest of the day with Lup and Angus, sidetracking to talk about the boy’s accomplishments with a ghost of a smile.

  
  
It was…. nice, being able to talk about people you care about. Is this what Magnus felt like every time he talked about someone he cared about? Probably more, if Taako is being honest. Magnus was always so warm and charitable. Taako was only getting into the whole feelings thing recently. He had to be conscious about emotions for months before it finally started to kick in. Lup was a good teacher. So was Magnus when they talked, he was an open book, easy to read. And easy to talk with.

  
  
This went along until the town became clearer, and they can see buildings half a mile up ahead. “Hey, there we go. Thanks to Taako, we made it safely. Let’s uh– get this all set up and we can stretch out legs, sound good Mango?"

  
  
“Sounds good to me,” Magnus hops down and takes Taako by the waist to lower him down to the ground.

  
  
The only inn in town that has a combination stable happens to be the busiest inn in town, apparently, but it would cost double the money to rent a stable separate from an inn for Radcliffe- so it’ll have to do. The stallion settles down for an evening of pampering from a slight elven stablehand, and the two of them head inside to get a room.

  
  
Unfortunately, there’s only one room available by the time they arrive. If it’s all they’ve got it’s all they’ve got, and they shuffle up the creaky stairs into a musty room with one uncomfortable looking, thin mattress on a wide frame. Sighing, Magnus sits down on the slightly crunchy mattress to pull off his boots.

  
  
“This quit smells like dogs,” he chuckles to himself, a cloud of fumes lifting up around him from where he sat. “It’s a little itchy, too. Oh well. You got a preference for being closer to the door or against the wall?”  
  
  
  
“Usually the door, but uh. I don’t think that’s actually a bed,” Taako replies, waving a finger at the questionable state of the mattress, and resists the urge to change it into something more acceptable. He’ll wait until Magnus gets off at least so he doesn't catch his pants in the crossfire.

  
  
“Do you think it’ll even support uh the b– uh, the two of us? It’s…. if I’m being honest here, it looks like a great way to get back pain, and I’ve slept on the ground plenty of times, homie.” Taako snickers as he takes off his hat, shawl, and boots to get comfortable, setting his bag near the foot of the bed closest to the door for easy access, just in case. “Get up real quick, ch’aboy’s gonna make things a little comfier,” he warns, and once Magnus is off the bed he shifts the cotton to be fluffier, the springs a bit better, the mattress looking a little more tolerable. “Alright that’ll do it. No accounting for smell but oh well.” It looked much more inviting, and Taako envisioned Magnus launching himself onto the bed to bounce.

  
  
Night falls sooner than they realize and with that, the cue to rest up for the next day. It took a brief discussion but Taako conceded to sleep beside Magnus, the reminder that they’ve done this many times on the Starblaster, though the decade without any real company during slumber made this almost new.He rested his forehead against the other’s chest, and closed his eyes. Taako stayed there silently for a while before slipping into a mix of a doze and a meditation. It was comforting. Save for the musty dog smell.  
  
  
  
There’s silence for a few minutes, with Taako tucked into the crook of his arm, and they both silently remember one another’s smells. The way Magnus smells like leather and sawdust and sunshine, the way Taako smells like spices and earth and warm breezes. They’ve known these smells, and they knew them, and they’re just as comforting now as they were when they would catch the scent of one another during their journeys for the BoB, before they remembered.   
  
  
  
Magnus remembers something else, something the IPRE used to exchange so casually, every single one of them to one another without a whisper of hesitation, because it was so true, they knew it down to the cells that made up their bodies, down to the white threads that tied them all together, they knew it and they weren’t afraid to share it. But it’s been so long since the last time, and even though Magnus knows it’s still true, he’s afraid that it will somehow be different. His arm shifts up to play with Taako’s hair and he whispers softly, “Are you awake?”

  
  
Taako doesn’t respond, and Magnus lowers his face down, resting his nose in Taako’s hair and breathes in that old comforting smell, and he smiles faintly. It’s been too long since the last time he said it- since the last time _any_ of them said it, but the words still taste sweet on his tongue when he whispers,

  
  
“I love you.”

  
  
Taako didn't mean to trick the fighter, but he was curious what Magnus would say. The hand carting through his long locks felt safe and comforting, a good way to make the elf drift off. The warmth pressed into his hair was nice, but what got to him were those three words. Like when he first heard his favorite voice before remembering, before breaking the Umbrastaff, he feels a warm, overwhelming, achy burst of affection from Magnus’ soft words. They feel familiar, and they should. It was shared liberally and generously. Even by him. A decade is a long time to go without saying them.

  
  
He pretends to sleep, and worms his way closer to hide the warmth suffusing into his face and takes a deep breath through his nose. Sunshine… Just like old times.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> some of you may recognize the shop they visit in this story from another story of mine~

In the morning, when they wake, Taako untangles himself languidly like a feline would and stretches, long legs shivering from the strain before hopping up to get dressed into something a little brighter. A mix of warm and cool will do. Purples and golds, a white plain blouse under it all. After getting ready for the day Taako turns to his old friend with a smirk, who has yet to even disentangle himself from the quilts, and wiggles a finger to make the decorations on his hat turn into peacock feathers.

  
  
“You know I wasn’t actually asleep last night, kemosabe?” he teases, motioning over to Magnus to lean in towards the human’s face, bent at the waist, hoping to fluster the rustic man. Some of his bangs slip over an eye but he didn’t mind. “I was awake the whole time.”  
  
  
  
Magnus grins and laughs, and gives Taako a shove by his shoulders, making him fall back on the mattress on his butt. “You’re a shit. I’m glad you were, though,” he says as he sits down in the chair in the room to pull on his boots. “I mean, I knew you were.” he didn’t. “I just wanted to make sure you heard me. It’s been too long since you heard it, at least from me, I don’t know if Lup’s said it since you freed her. I think you needed it. I know I needed it.” he smiles up at Taako and then slings his bag over his shoulder. “Come on, lovebug, let’s get moving, soak up as much daylight as we can.”

  
  
They hitch Radcliffe back up to the cart and hop aboard, and are on the road again in a matter of minutes. Magnus is still grinning, his whole day brightened now just by knowing that Taako knows he still loves him.

  
  
“Do you remember-” he pauses to laugh, already delighted. “I think it was like… cycle 30-something. I’m pretty sure it was you, actually, who said it first, weren’t you? Barry was doing something ridiculous, some kind of exercise pose that we learned that cycle, it was the common form of physical activity there, but he couldn’t nail it and kept falling over, and it was you who said- something like ‘you’re so stupid, Bear, I love you” and we all teased you for saying it and you defended yourself, all-” he puts on a ridiculous approximation of Taako’s voice. “Why should I be ashamed! I do love him! Shut up!”

  
  
He can’t stop grinning. “And after that, remember how it became a contest? We all started saying it like crazy that cycle, fifty times a day, someone would get up to go to the bathroom and another would stop them and remind them they loved them before they left the room, we’d go to eachother’s rooms every night just to remind them we loved them, we’d leave a room and then poke our heads back inside just to tell everyone there we loved them before we left,” there are tears in his eyes with true, joyful laughter now. “God, it was ridiculous.”  
  
  
  
Taako tries to ignore the heat radiating off of his face and he’s so dearly grateful for the glamour he puts on to hide it, his usually relaxed expression contorting into something akin to embarrassment and nostalgia. He stammers and makes a half-assed wave in the air to counteract Magnus’ gushing but no relief.

  
  
“Wh– Well yeah it was, we got into fights over that shit. I mean– I know I had my fair share of just saying it– you were possibly the worst culprit of them all. You even tried to– uh, to hug us when you said it it was grossly sweet, my dude,” Taako counters, rambling quickly to hide the fact he’s indeed, quite flustered. He turns away to fix up his belongings after getting into the cart, having rushed to get back on the road, and puts his clothes from yesterday away into his bag. What gave his emotions away the most was his twitching, perking ears. They show that Taako’s delighted at Magnus’ reaction despite how it was turned against him, and embarrassed, nervous twitching.

  
  
“It sure was ridiculous, hombre, but _you’re_ ridiculous,” he continues, a laughter to his voice now, “calling me gushy names and– and knwing when I’m awake– shut up, okay?” He couldn’t think of a better comeback, shifting things around so they’re neater before leaning against the window to poke Magnus just above the hip to get back at him. A childish move on Taako’s part but it’s the only thing he could think of.

  
  
Magnus giggles helplessly and jerks to the side with Taako tickles him, grinning from ear to ear. “Keep your paws to yourself, jackass. You of all people should know I’ve got a lot of love to give. Don’t make me come back there and love you to death, I’ve got strong huggin’ arms and I’m not afraid to smother you to death with ‘em. Lovingly.”

  
  
Taako joins him a few more times during their journey towards New Elfington to try navigating the cart again, and just to keep him company. When the wind gets to be too much they bundle in one big blanket together for warmth, and when the sun shines bright, Taako climbs on the roof of the wagon to sunbathe like a cat. Overall it’s very uneventful, and they make it to New Elfington a couple hours before sundown. Magnus is almost sad that their journey is already over, and wishes they could have gone somewhere farther, but at least he got to spend a few days with Taako.

  
  
Luckily, Taako still remembers the place he sold the crystal, and they wind through the streets towards the docks, where Taako remembers it was located. True to its namesake, the entire city is bursting with elves of every shape and size, most of whom look at Magnus with some measure of disdain. It isn’t that people of other races aren’t allowed in New Elfington, but it’s one of the largest centers of elven arts and commerce, so it isn’t surprising that they’d turn their nose up at anyone else. Magnus is just glad to hang close to Taako, who seems to really know his way around this place. Taako ignores it fine and even takes up Magnus’ hand once they’re on their feet, as if to say back off. The human is with him.   
  


  
When they arrive at the docks and finally find the shop, Magnus at first thinks it’s a joke. Nobody can live, let alone work in a space like that. The building is five stories high with a pointy crooked shingle roof all covered in moss, crammed into the fifteen feet of space between two massive fishery complexes. The building is so distorted, it looks like it’s been stretched up like taffy. Across the front, directly above the tall rotating door hangs a flickering light-up florescent sign that appears to have been frankensteined together from a dozen other signs, with every letter a different size and font and color, reading “Bits and Bobs.”  
  


  
“You _can't_ be serious,” Magnus leans back to address Taako over his shoulder, but he can’t tear his eyes away from the building. Hanging from every window is one big spinning perpetual motion machine, dropping little glass balls from one contraption to another in fantastical sweeping motions.  
  
  
  
“Yyyyuparoony, hombre. This is the place. Not much space, but they do good business here,” Taako replies, walking past him to get to the front of the shop. He notices the look Magnus makes, and smirks. He knows this must be throwing up red flags. The structure is atrocious, but that’s the charm of this place. It’s always been like that. As far as Taako remembers, when he was first put here. Without further ado, Taako walks up to the door and passes by the odd mobile contraptions, past the mismatched sign broadcasting the name of the shop, with flourish and fancy like he was an old friend.

  
  
“Helloooo~ Back in town. Who can I talk to about purchases?” he announces, taking his hat off maybe out of respect, maybe for dramatics. He holds it in one hand and motions Magnus to follow.

  
  
There’s a crash from the back of the shop, as Magnus wedges himself sideways into the rotating front door that Taako slipped through so easily, scooting along until he can pop out into the shop beyond- but not very far. The entire shop is a winding twisty pathway of different junk stacked up in piles higher than Magnus’ head, held up by lengths of rope tied off on hooks from wall to wall, just to keep the junk from collapsing and burying innocent shopgoers alive.

  
  
“Holy shit,” Magnus whispers, a little intimidated. They can hear some muttering, and then the tips of fiery orange hair as a man begins to wind through the narrow pathways in the shop, grunting to himself as he reaches a couple dead ends and has to backtrack. Finally he stops in the next aisle over and lowers his face down to look at them through a gap between a stack of cuckoo clocks, and an umbrella stand holding a dozen brooms.

  
  
“You here for the bird?” he asks gruffly, looking at the pair with some disdain. Magnus notes with some surprise that he’s not an elf either, really the only human he’s seen up close since they arrived. He also notices that the man could practically be his brother, he’s also tall and ginger, though his hair is more orange than auburn, and his light skin is covered in freckles.

  
  
“There’s a bird here?” Magnus asks, dumbstruck, looking around to try and find it.

  
  
The man sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. “ _Sonya_ , are you here for Sonya.”

  
  
“Oh– yeah, we’re uh– here, for Sonya. Got a purchase I want to track, think you can help me, homie?” Taako croons, pulling back his braid with a winning smile. He plays with an odd part sticking out of the pile of impossible things, seeming unalarmed by the state of things, even precariously stacked as they were. He turns to look to Magnus with an amused expression, gauging the human’s reaction best he can. “Mind showing my friend and I to her?” he continues, sticking his tongue out slightly to Magnus in…. an almost flirty way? Definitely a look that says “You’re fucking floored aren’t you?” and he holds onto the end of his braid, which is wrapped around his neck like a shawl as soon as he entered the building. There are too many places for it to be snagged and caught. 

 

“Yeah, sure, good luck finding her though, I haven’t found the front door in thirty years.” the man grumbles, giving them a general idea of which way to go to get to the back of the shop

  
  
After much navigating, and a couple dead ends– proving just how convoluted and mismatched this place actually is, they get to where they need to. And all along the way Taako talks about the times he’s been in here, once getting lost for a few hours with only a wind up frog as his only company. Good times. Near the beginning of the trip inside the store Taako takes up Magnus’ hand as to not lose him among the bobbles and bits and gizmos stacked high. Magnus relies on Taako’s keen senses to get them where they’re going, scooting sideways through the narrow pathways and holding on tightly to his hand.

  
  
The back of the shop is considerably more organized, probably due to the human man who is now sweeping the narrow hallway down towards the stained glass back door. An old sleepy dog is slumped on it side in a bed snoring, and perched on a stool is a very, very old elf. Magnus has never _seen_ such an old elf before, she’s so old that she actually has wrinkles and saggy skin. She’s sitting on the stool quite like a bird like the man had said, with her knees up, holding onto the edge of the stool with her toes, wearing a pair of glasses so thick that they magnify her blue eyes between strands of stringy white hair. Her ears are like satellite dishes they stick out so far and swivel towards them like a rabbit.

  
  
She spins in the stool to face them, blinking like an owl behind her glasses, and her saggy cheeks pull into a wide grin. “Hello!” she says, she sounds like a squawky bird, too. “You must be Pickles- or was it Vernon? Are you here to read my palm, Pickles Vernon?”

 

All Magnus can say is "Uh."

 

“Great improv, darling, Pickles Vernon is my name– no, actually. My name is Taako, and I’m here to ask about a trade I did. This handsome fella is Mango,” he introduces, bowing dramatically. It’s quite the dramatics for Taako to pull but he can’t help it. He stays with his head bowed for a moment to prevent laughing. This woman just tickles him. Magnus can feel the shaking of his barely suppressed laughter through the hands interlocked, his shoulders shaking.

  
  
He rights himself again and focuses on the dog instead, to keep the laughter from his voice best he can. Good to know Lup’s lessons were kicking in finally. He would have definitely laughed at the woman in her face and heckled her. God he’s an asshole.

  
  
“Do you happen to know where we might find a shiny glowing crystal here?” Oop. He cracked a little at the word might, the snort easy enough to smooth over though. The young elf simply holds Magnus’ hand a little tighter, that’s right. This must be a bit bizarre for him. It’s cute, definitely. Hopefully Magnus trusts him enough to follow through. He’ll get something for Mags for the confusion.

  
  
Magnus just gives Taako’s hand a squeeze. He’s not blind to Taako’s recent efforts, how much he’s grown, how much less posturing and feather ruffling he’d been doing lately. He really has finally come back into his own, like the Taako back when they were on the ship and Taako was so confident it was sometimes like looking into the sun. Radiant and bright and a little painful to watch. He can see that light coming off of Taako again, these days, and it’s beautiful. Distracted, he shakes the fuzz out of his head and focuses up on what’s going on in front of him. The old woman taps her glasses in thought and then says,

  
  
“Maybe! Come upstairs.” she hops off the stool and stands up (and up and up) to her full height, towering nearly as tall as Magnus, but rail thin, like she’s made of a costume propped up on a scarecrow. She begins to ascend the narrow, narrow stairs at the back of the shop, so narrow that Magnus has to turn sideways to prevent knocking over the dozens of pictures hung up along the wall with his shoulder.

  
  
The second floor is completely empty of objects, they can easily see from one end of the floor to the other, save for the stairs up to the next floor and an open door to a small half-bath, but the entire room is filled with an explosion of color, all being projected around the room by the hundreds upon hundreds of glass baubles, natural crystals, shards of glass and gemstones hung from the ceiling on twine.

  
  
“See it here anywhere?” she asks, hands on her hips. As if it would be easy to spot any specific thing in this sea of color. Magnus looks down at himself, he’s covered in rainbow stripes from head to toe, and so is Taako. He laughs softly to himself.

  
  
“Uh- you have any like, locate object spells or anything? We’re gonna be here all day otherwise.” he mutters to his friend. He’s yet to actually let go of his hand.

  
  
“Yeah hold on, bubuleh, I’ve got a few spells up my sleeves.” Taako takes out a spare want he keeps on him from his armpit pocket. There’s no reason to bring out the Krebstar, it’s just an old woman and a very messy store. He moves closer to a wall of the room, just basking in the colors with a very curious glint in his eyes, light locks just glimmering in color as he casts a few spells to see what artifacts were possibly that of the soul crystal.

  
  
He picks up quite a few of the gems and shimmering stones and looks them over, looking around almost like he’s bored, and when Magnus is looking away he pockets one or two of the stones. Small things, really. Easily forgotten. Taako leads his beloved friend through the selection with an ever growing frown forming on his illuminated features, ears twitching backwards in disappointment and…. was that nervousness? Taako, anxious? Impossible. He hums thoughtfully, and throws in a spell to hone in on exactly what he’s trying to look for, eyes glowing for a moment and hair gently levitating via magic, coursing through him fully. If Magnus paused he could feel the thrum of magic from Taako’s fingers, and once the spell ends he grunts in frustration, more prominent than before.

  
  
“Hachi machi, I wasted _three_ spell slots for this? Mm-mm, Taako’s on a mission now. Mags, you cool with a little more of an adventure than we thought? Because uh– uh– we’ve got a bit of a problem. Our crystal’s in another castle,” he murmurs to the human, pulling close to talk. He’s practically up against Magnus, to keep his voice down. Much louder, he calls to the elder elf with an easy smile. Fake to anyone that knows Taako personally, but it looks friendly and easy.

  
  
“Excuse me, uh, lady. I’m sorry, I forgot your name but– we– we uh– what we’re looking for isn’t here. It’s a crystal about the size of a buttermilk biscuit, uh, sort of a whiteish, cyanish, purpleish color. Have you happen to sell any crystals of that description? Glows a little? Anything?” he moves his free hand around, looking around like he’s a kid in a candy store, all over the place.

  
  
“Huh- what?” the old woman looks over, and for a moment she looks surprised, as if she didn’t expect to see anybody in the room with her, but then she smiles. “Oh- I don’t know about that. But this is where the crystals are.”

  
  
The human man pokes his head up to the next floor, still scowling. “We haven’t sold any crystals in a long time, Sonya. Follow me, boys.”

  
  
He leads them up to the third floor, which appears to be stuffed end to end with filing cabinets. It’s messy, but moderately well organized. The human is muttering to himself as he flips through a few filing cabinets towards the middle of the room.

  
  
“We haven’t sold any crystals since…” he murmurs, flipping through several files in one creaky old drawer. “Aha. Yeah, that’s what I thought. About eight years ago. Young woman came in, looking for a crystal exactly like the one you’re describing. Pretty sure… hold on,” he squints at the paper. “Taako? Weren’t you the one who sold it to us?”

  
  
“Yeah, that’s in the past though,” Magnus steps in for his friend. “And it was an accident, and we’re looking for it. Do you have any idea who the woman was?”

  
  
“I don’t know, I don’t get the particulars of every person who comes in the store,” the man says gruffly. “She was young, maybe twenty five. Dark dark skin, white hair, she was wearing all blue, do I look like a pensieve?”

  
  
Magnus’ eyes widen with realization, and he looks down at Taako.Lucretia

  
  
Taako really did try to hide his distaste, because of _course_ it was _her_ that got to the soul crystal. He resists the urge to pull a look of contempt, and instead looks impassive– fake, a mask– looking back up at Magnus with a shrug as if to say “Well we got our answer.” His ears betray him, swiveling back in clear anger. His hand trembles lightly in Magnus’ and he layers on the nonchalant tone a little much as he turns back to the gruff human.

  
  
“Thanks a lot, homie, that’s alllllll the info we need to get the ball rollin’. You’ve been a great help to my– my friend and I, now excuse me while I– while we discuss what to do. Lovely– uh, lovely store– great upstairs, absolutely gorgeous. Now, we’ll be on ourrrr way, mkay? Good, adios, hombre,” Taako rambles, saluting to the human before pulling Magnus along to get away, boots stepping down a little harder than before as he brings Magnus back downstairs and out the back door so they don't have to fuck around with navigating the front. He is furious. How dare she take it? Why wasn’t it handled _before_ Taako went off being an idiot with an empty head? Why didn't she take it from him before turning him loose, if she wanted it? Why wait until he sold it to buy it back?

  
  
He’s going to have to call her, isn’t he? Taako has barely spoken a word to her since the day of Story and Song. Candlenights was the last time he’s seen her physically, let alone talked. Once they were away far enough, he pulls Magnus to the side and fishes out the Stone of Far Speech, and hesitates. With an indistinguishable look up to Magnus, he licks his lips and attunes the stone to a familiar frequency. Taako’s hand shakes terribly and squeezes into the large man’s fingers as an anchor, something to hold on to and keep calm with, as the stone thrums to life and connects to someone he hasn’t forgiven; Lucretia.

  
  
“Yo.”

  
  
The boiling hot rage hits him in the gut after that first word. He can’t get anything else out, and unconsciously, that rage flows through and sparks a bit of magic, his palms heating up and eyes glowing a dangerous color. What’s even scarier than that is the fact his face is completely void of emotion even if his body screams anguish and anger.

  
  
Lucretia was more than surprised to hear Taako's voice come through her stone of farspeech, that much is evident in the tone of her voice. "Taako?" she says, incredulous.

  
  
"Hey, Luce, It's Magnus too," the human says, leaning in towards the stone so she'll be able to hear him too. He can feel Taako's hand heating up, but it's nothing he can't handle. It wouldn't be the first time he saw Taako's anger manifest physically in his body with magic- it's something he might have picked up from Lup at some point. He is, however, a little bit nervous about how angry Taako is. He knows the elf hasn't forgiven their old friend yet, and as much as he loves Lucretia, and as much as he knows Lucretia loves them, he doesn't feel like he has the right to encourage Taako to give up his anger and forgive their friend. Taako has earned his anger, with everything he had to suffer since Lucretia wiped their memories, even if it does make Magnus very, very sad.

  
  
"Yeah it's me. We had quite the day today. It took a bit to get to New Elfington. It looks nice, the tourist season sure is in full swing," he starts, voice a bit distant, aloof. Very much like when Magnus had met him, when they took up the job for Gundren. He's still shaking physically. "We're at uhhhh a store right now. We didn't find what we were looking for. Think you can help?" The warmth in Taako's hands, unbeknownst to the elf, grow just a little warmer. About as hot as holding a cup of freshly brewed tea. Toasty, but not painful. His shoulders are trembling as he fights to keep that same old lilt. "For ol' Taako."

  
  
  
"Uh- yes, I think I can do that, I mean I'll do my best," she says, apparently not picking up on the clipped nature of Taako's tone. It's not like they were the closest of all the IPRE members even before, it makes sense that she wouldn't be able to pick up on the nuances of Taako's voice, not like Magnus can.  "What are you looking for?"

  
  
Magnus gives Taako's warm hand a squeeze. He isn't worried yet about the heat, but he squeezes his hand hoping it'll put just a little attention towards what he's doing so it doesn't get any hotter.

  
  
Taako feels the pressure, and for a moment of reprieve it helps ease him emotionally, but his body is kicking into the adrenaline he feels, and he has to wet his lips before replying again, voice still the same even if he has to take a breath a bit more often. "I'm looking for something I sold a few years ago, when I was in town. Sometime after getting the stage coach and needing a bit extra to really start going. You know, with Sizzle it Up."

  
  
He scrunches up his face in poorly veiled emotion. It's hard to distinguish which one. Anger, guilt, hurt, melancholy. It's chaos in his head as he starts to ramble, the heat intensifying slightly. "Y'see-- no, wait, remember that cycle, with the robots? Hm? Yeah the uhhhh-- the-- uh the robot cycle where we got that crystal? The one that I was protecting? Where did that crystal go, Madame Director?" His voice is still cool and collected, sounding more like a mildly curious tone.

  
  
Lucretia is silent for a moment, and then Taako can hear a very quiet sigh. "I sense that you're angry with me."

  
  
Magnus doesn't really want to intervene, Lucretia and Taako haven't really had a chance to have it out since the day of story and song, but Taako's hand is starting to get a little uncomfortable for him now. He sucks air through his teeth a little bit, his nose scrunching up. It's not really bad yet, he can stick it  out.

  
  
"Oh not angry. No. Definitely not. Now, the crystal. Uh, so we came in here and a guy told us a woman, by your description, purchased it. is-- i-is that correct, Director?" his voice cracks near the end, almost breaking his resolve. He wasn't lying. He's not angry. He's hurt, furious. It's almost too much. Taako doesn't notice Magnus's pain yet, and he takes a deep breath to try to keep it together, if only just barely. "So I'll ask again; Where did that crystal go?"

  
  
"I did purchase it," Lucretia admits after a moment. She sounds... tired. "There was so much going on that day, I just. I forgot to take it before you. Before I brought you." she can't seem to find a way to finish her sentence, so she just moves on. "I needed it, Taako. The technology in that crystal helped to build the Bureau of Balance moonbase, without its properties we never would have been able to harness the flight capabilities that keep the base afloat."

  
  
Magnus hisses a little louder now, his hand is starting to hurt pretty bad now, actually. "Uh- Taako-" he whispers, his fingers starting to ache.

  
  
"I gave the crystal to Lucas Miller," Lucretia says. "He should have it, still. I can't think of why he would have gotten rid of it. He used it not only to enable his lab and the moonbase to fly, but also used it to understand how to seal souls inside robot bodies."

  
  
At that, Taako's palms are burning hot, his eyes a blazing orange now, some steam coming off of the stone he's holding, magic fuming lightly against his own fingers and he bursts into a slightly louder voice. "You _used it_ for your _base?_ Those are _live souls_ in there Lu-- D-Director! That's what we were tryin' to fucking _avoid_. You know all that Lucas had done, right? He-- I'm sorry, but I must be going out of my mind here, you didn't just say Lucas _still has it,_ did you?"

  
  
He grips tighter, and the searing pain intensifies for Magnus. Taako isn't aware that he's almost shouting at the stone at this point, voice cracking and stuttering as he wheezes to get in a breath. "You _exploited_ lives for the sake of making your _base float mysteriously_ and-- a-a-and that little shit _has it still??_ He trapped fucking _people_ and Klaarg in that fucking lab-- L-Lucy I--"

  
  
"Taako, please, I know you're upset," Lucretia says, her tone starting to sound a little dire. "I had- I had to do what I had to do. I know you don't understand, you don't want to understand, I know you just want to be angry at me forever, but just- I know where Lucas is, I can send you in his direction, I'll let him know you're coming."

  
  
" _Taako_ ," Magnus says, a little bit louder, the pain is getting to be almost too much, now. He won't be able to stand it for more than a couple more seconds if Taako doesn't dial it back.

  
  
"It's going to take a long time for me to fix everything that- that I did wrong," Lucretia continues. "I know everything seems so clear cut to you Taako but hindsight is 20-20. Do you want to know where Lucas is or not?"

  
  
"Yes!! I want to fucking know!! And don't play fucking-- I don't _want_ to be angry at you forever but you royally fucked up my life! That's-- ohoho-- th-th-that's hard to-- to come back from, you know?--" He's trying to dial back his anger but he's holding onto Magnus' hand too long.

 

" _Taako!_ " Magnus can't take it a second longer, the pain is too much. He yanks his hand back all at once, hissing in pain. The skin is red and it looks like there's a mild blister or two- telltale signs of first degree burns. Taako looks back over before realizing what he's done, and lets go as Magnus tugs his hand away so fast it makes Taako stumble back a little, chest heaving with desperate gasps as he tries desperately to calm down.

  
  
"Shit-- fuck--" he extinguishes his hand with a wave and there's such a look of guilt on his face as he trembles, hand reaching out for Magnus' injured one, and continues on. "Tell us. A-a-and we're done. Just-- tell me where he fucking is. No more flavor text." He's trying to fight back tears. Taako looks apologetically to Magnus, about ready to burst into a flurry of guilt laced sorry's as he tries to keep calm enough to get to the point. That enough he has to do. When Taako reaches out for him a second time, Magnus can't help but reflexively pull back a little bit. 

  
  
  
"He's not far from you, actually," Lucretia sighs. "He's in Telmora. The coastal city, just a couple day's ride away from New Elfintgon. He's staying in the hotel there, the Grand Theocratic. I'll let him know you're coming, Taako and Magnus. And for what it's worth, I'm sorry." With that, she ends the call.

  
  
"F-fuck, I'm so sorry, Mags-- I didn't--" Taako drops the stone so it bounces off of his chest and holds lithe hands to a bowed center, afraid to hurt his friend again. Taako looks so small now, burying in one hand to pull at his hair as an anchor, and the other takes out his wand, posing it towards Magnus, a silent plea to help reverse the damage. To fix this.

  
  
"I-I can he-- h-h-help. I didn't mean to b-- oh god, it's so red. Please--" it's all the wizard can do and say before he tries to bottle everything up at once, and messily. He doesn't succeed.

  
  
"Hey- hey, it's okay," Magnus clutches his injured hand towards his stomach. He doesn't let Taako get at his hand yet. He's in pain, sure, but more than that he's very, incredibly worried. "Are you okay?"

  
  
"No-- bu-- M-M-Maggie.... You're hurt-- fucking fuck, it's my... m-m-my f-fault," he stammers, voice growing quiet where it was angrily loud before. He drops his wand and gulps, a lump at the back of his throat he can't talk past suddenly and trembles, hand loose in Taako's hair, the other useless in front of him. He hurt Magnus. He _yelled at Lucretia._

  
  
What is _wrong_ with him? That wasn't what Taako intended at all. He hadn't realized his palms were burning. Everything went red. It went hot and suffocating, like fire. Taako checked visually over his dear friend for any other parts he had tarnished, that he had hurt in his idiotic fit of anguish.

  
  
Magnus doesn't respond with words, words are useless right now. He just steps forward and pulls Taako into his embrace. Taako hasn't really let any of his feelings about this little mission of their come to the surface so far, but he can imagine how absolutely powerless the elf is feeling, how completely responsible he felt for that crystal, only for it to be lost as an afterthought. He keeps his injured hand curled and out of the way, and takes Taako's hat to bury his nose in his big poof of hair, curling his other arm around the short elf's shoulders.

  
  
"Hey," he says, squeezing Taako against his body with his good hand. "Hey. It's okay."

  
  
Taako hiccups once embraced, the contact something he desperately needed, and buries his face into Magnus' shoulder, trembling so terribly it's a wonder he hasn't fallen apart at the seams. He curls his hands to his own stomach, afraid to touch Magnus with them. Taako inhales sharply and chokes out a sob. Magnus, kind, ever forgiving Magnus, understood.

  
  
He always had, even without all their memories. Magnus knows. And even though that's a comfort to Taako, he can't help but sink into his friend and just _whimper._ He doesn't bawl, he doesn't cry out. Taako is quiet, and mutters old mantras in another language. It's muffled in Magnus' shirt as he presses closer to the familiar scent of sunshine and lets some of the pressure out. But he doesn't trust his hands.

  
  
"I-- S-so--" he tries. It's impossible to get in a word.

  
  
"I know," Magnus whispers back, nuzzling his nose into Taako's soft, warm hair. "I know."

  
  
He just holds him there for a while, rocking them both slightly from side to side, keeping that hand clenched shut to ward off the pain as long as possible. He closes his eyes and just. Tries to soak up some of Taako's pain, tries to absorb it from him, take it from him. He doesn't deserve it, with the exception of perhaps Davenport, Taako had it the worst of all of them. Magnus, in his own rite, almost benefited more from losing his memories. He'd been somewhat of a guilt-ridden shut in before Lucretia sent him to Raven's Roost, and while he subsequently lost Julia, he at least _had her._ But Taako had nothing, nothing but his show, and that didn't work out so hot.

  
  
He doesn't want to pull back, not even long enough for them to find an inn to stay the night in, so he doesn't. He scoops his injured hand underneath Taako's knees, keeping it balled in a fist with Taako's legs draped over his arm, so he can grip his shoulders with his good hand, and begins carrying him back to where they parked the cart. They hadn't gotten a room yet because they expected to just be in and out, but it looks like their adventure isn't over yet. Magnus is both sad that they didn't find it and relieve some of Taako's guilt and anguish over it, and relieved that he doesn't have to part ways with Taako just yet.

  
  
Taako doesn't fully register Magnus picking him up, or when they go around the building, past the tinkling motion machine and even the blinking sign doesn't bring him back from his trembling, small state, holding onto Magnus like his life depends on it. It probably does, if Taako had a lucid moment to be honest. He kept his face buried into Magnus' neck, sobbing out soft apologies when he can, with his arms curled up close to his body, as if he knew to keep his hands to himself.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there is a very brief suggestion of sexual assault in this chapter, followed by very consensual making out, so beware!

Magnus has never know Taako to be so small before. It breaks his heart.

 

He carries him back in the direction of their cart. His hand is starting to smart pretty bad, but he can handle a little pain. It's nothing he hasn't dealt with before, and hell he's had much, much worse. Never at the hands of one of his friends, necessarily, but he knows Taako didn't mean it. Even if Taako _had_ meant it, Magnus would have convinced himself he didn't mean it.

  
  
He carries the elf all the way to the nearest inn with a stable which, thankfully, they have more options for than in the last town. There's more than one room available, but Magnus asks for just one. God himself could split the sky and tell them to sleep in separate beds and Magnus would tell him to go fuck himself. There's no way in hell he's letting Taako sleep alone tonight. He carries the emotionally exhausted elf up the stairs and sits him down on the edge of the bed- this one looks much more comfortable than the last. He kneels beside the bed and brushes Taako's hair out of his face with his good hand.

  
  
"Hey- look at me. I'm gonna go park the cart, okay? You just stay here, rest up, I'll be back in twenty minutes, tops. Don't go anywhere, Taako, just- stay here, okay?" he's afraid of Taako's tendency to retreat and hide like a wounded cat when he's feeling vulnerable, he really doesn't want to have to go hunting through the city after the tormented elf with only one good hand. He gives the elf's forehead a kiss, and hurries back downstairs to get to their cart so he can put Radcliffe in the stable as quickly as possible.

  
  
Taako's eyes were glassy from crying, drained from, well, everything. He nods obediently after Magnus tells him what he was going to do, almost losing it at the kiss. It was soft, and warm. He closes his eyes until Magnus left. Once the door was shut, Taako went to the bathroom to clean up. At least for now. Magnus shouldn't deal with a mess if Taako was going to stay in the room until the fighter came back. The biggest source of guilt is not healing Magnus right away-- he was still injured! Taako did his best to look put-together, like nothing happened. He even put on soft pinks and dark plum pants on to help. He sat on the bed where Magnus set him down and huddled up his knees so he can hug them. Taako knows he's being childish. How things were handled wasn't okay. He... might apologize to Lucretia. If he can. Through a letter.

  
  
Taako's gut churned-- the angry look of that hand, the one that was trying to ground him, help him keep calm. He literally burned that hand. The flinch when Taako tried to reach out for him played in his mind. Would Magnus be okay with Taako healing him? He had picked up a spell for it not long ago when Angus got hurt. Hopefully it's not infected, or aggravated.

  
  
Magnus returns a few minutes later, and looks instantly relieved to see Taako still in the room. His hand is starting to look pretty rough at this point, some skin is starting to flake around the creases where he's held his hand shut in a fist since the burn, and his knuckles seem to tremble a little bit. He comes over to the bed and sits down beside him. "So. Lucas, huh? You want me to like, give him a wedgie for you or something once we get there?" he asks, hoping to make Taako smile, even a little bit.

  
  
It works only a little, a small huff of laughter coming from the spent elf. Taako glances to Magnus, eyes looking a little duller, his lips more chapped from constant worrying-- he forgot to replenish his glamour, unknown to the wizard. He looks tired, but instantly relieved and guilty again when he sees Magnus. Forcing a more open posture, Taako lets his legs hang over to touch the ground, nodding over to his hand lamely. "Yeah sure, but-- l-let... let me fix up that hand first so you... uh.... can do an atomic one. Nerdlord deserves a real good... a real good wedgie, I think."

  
  
Magnus shouldn't put off healing, otherwise there could be permanent damage. A scar from Taako is not something he wants on Magnus. The protector of the group, the one making sure they were safe, and happy, and loved. The one that forgives too fast and holds so gently for someone with his strength. Taako hesitates pulling a hand up, the only thing still shaking after his outburst from earlier. "Can...."

  
  
Magnus does look a little nervous, but after searching Taako's face, he does hold his hand out for the other man. "Yeah, sure buddy. I didn't know you knew how to heal?" he hisses in pain as he slowly uncurls his hand, and the real damage that Taako had done becomes evident. His skin is shiny, blistered pink with angry red around the edges, a couple small yellow blisters puffing up under the skin on the pads of his palm. He gives a weak, awkward chuckle, afraid to let Taako see it. He wants to protect him, even from something he already knows.

  
  
"I've had worse," he says, trying to sound light-hearted and dismissive.

  
  
"....holy shit..." his voice is tight, but it stays steady. For that, Taako's grateful. He nods to Magnus, confirming that he does know a spell. A soft light soothes over the human's hand, the incantation steady even if those damn fingers aren't. He falls into a trance, almost, leaning in close to Magnus. His fingers brush over the newly healed palm, tingly from the magic that wove through his skin. Taako hiccupped once more but his eyes stayed dry.

  
  
"Fuck I'm sorry for-- for all of that, earlier. That-- I didn't realize.... I hurt you," he gasped, slowly and uncertainly moving usually deft hands away as if to say "I can back off if you want me to".

  
  
"Don't you dare," Magnus wraps his other arm around Taako's shoulders and pulls him even closer instead, resting his face in the comforting cloud of Taako's hair. "We're cool, okay? No harm done. Well- no lasting harm. Hey, remember that time I opened a door so fast I broke your nose? You're not still mad at me about that, right? I mean, it was like 85 years ago, but you're not still mad."

  
  
Taako chokes out a laugh, it's bubbly from emotions and he tentatively wraps an arm around the large human. Of course not. He rests against Magnus and blew at a part of his bang that's now in his eye.

  
  
"If I was I'd still be giving you slightly charred food. N-- no, I'm not mad anymore," he answers. He doesn't have it in him to delve into the joke right now but he appreciates what Magnus is trying to do. Some part of Taako felt a soft warmth whenever Magnus buried into his hair. Since the other inn he's been doing that. It's.... honestly really nice. "How's your hand?"

  
  
"Better than ever," he lies. It still smarts a little and probably will for a while, but he's burned his hands before, working with a forge, and Taako doesn't need to know how long burns take to stop hurting. "I think I actually have super strength in that hand, now."

  
  
"Shut the fuck up, liar. Just-- just go easy, okay? I know that. Okay that's a futile effort but you get my point, right, bubbeleh?" Taako smiles slightly at that and lightly taps at Magnus' shoulder. He's still worried, but it's time to Collect Emotions. He leans against Magnus for a little while, just chuckling a little bit, before flopping himself against the mattress to lay down. The braid lands across Magnus' lap now and the elf sighs, partially in relief that at least Magnus won't get a scar, but also in frustration with what all happened today. "Think sir nerdalot still has the damn thing?"

  
  
"I mean, considering how he hoards gemstones? Yeah, I'd fuckin' bet," he says, lifting Taako's braid. He takes out the tie and starts to undo it, it's really gotten pretty messy over the course of the day. "Scooch up, lemme at your hair, I'm gonna redo your thing."

  
  
"Oh-- wh-- well okay, sure..." With a bit of pink to his face he gets up and scoots backwards towards Magnus so he can get at it. It's horrendously frayed, Taako forgot to fix it up after getting changed. The braid was lopsided, hair spilling out everywhere, but still soft and easy to brush through. A charm, most likely, to prevent tangles.

  
  
"He keeps taking my fucking rocks. You notice that? I think the thug has a problem," Taako muses, ears twitching happily, a little more perked than before. Taako closes his eyes while Magnus undoes it, the fluffy river of platinum spilling out all over the further he gets. This causes Taako to peer over his shoulder with a smirk at some point and with a teasing, almost suggestive tone, he snickers, "If I didn't know better I'd say you had a thing for my hair, darling."

  
  
"I like your hair," Magnus seems neither bothered by nor ashamed of it. "It always smells good and it's really soft and Lup never lets me touch her hair," he says as he runs his fingers through the locks in lieu of any actual hairbrush to use. He starts at the ends, slowly working his way up to the roots little by little, gently untangling any knot he comes across. "I tried the long hair thing once, after landing here, after- well you know. But I just kind of ended up looking like a douche bag." between sentences, the tip of his tongue sticks out of his lips in concentration.

  
  
"You in a manbun would be choice, actually. I can see that, it's nice finally being able to grow it out. You get sick of the same length after a while, y'know?" He turns back to bask in the gentle fingers carting through and shivers. Outright shivers. He stops though afterwards and silently hopes Magnus doesn't notice. It's just. So relaxing and calming. "Also, uh, it's just sort of nice being able to whack some fools with this thing when it's in a braid. It may be hair but it's heavy as shit"

  
  
"I bet you could put a few metal accessories at the end of this thing and really fuck some shit up," Magnus grins. Taako's soft hair feels like heaven on his stinging palm. He's so lost in the sensations that he's oblivious to Taako's plight. He sections his hair into three soft pieces and start to plait them loosely, in that style Taako loves to wear. "Do you ever sit on this thing? That must suck."

  
  
"Oh for sure. I don't notice until i reach forward to get something and-- yoink!! I get an unexpected chiropractic sesh. Hurts like a mother fucker but I'm not-- it's sentimental, you know?" He sighs softly, and relaxes visibly once Magnus gets close to his scalp. He opens them again when the braiding starts. "You know, if I added some metal shit it might be to my own face. Or yours, depending. Anyway-- uh. Dooooo you remember where we're supposed to go? A hotel, right?"

  
  
"Yeah, called like... the... Big Ol' Theatre. Or something. We'll figure it out when we get there. In Telmora. I've been there before, I know which roads to take." he closes the tie over the end of Taako's hair and then pulls back the fluffy quilt on the bed, scooting up against the wall so Taako can have the space near the door, like he prefers. He opens his arms, beckoning Taako to flop down into them, the quilt pulled up like a tent, ready to recieve the elf.

  
  
When Magnus spreads open his arms a funny flutter spread from his chest into his stomach, alarming Taako but he hides it and smiles instead, slipping in to accept the warmth (literally!) of Magnus' proposed cuddles. Taako is no prude when it comes to cuddle. He may not initiate often you bet your ass he won't pass on a Burnsides hug. "Oh fuck yeah, homie!" he exclaims, voice muffling under the blanket as he situates himself and presses close, savoring the contact. He still tries not to touch Magnus with his hands, so he turns around so Magnus is spooning Taako, a very happy decision indeed. Now Magnus gets a face full of hair.

  
  
"We'll--" Taako starts with a yawn, "We'll get to Tell-more later and, uh-- uh-- search the nerd. Right now? Sleepy time. Tha-- uh...." he stirs for a moment in embarrassment, muffling his voice in the pillow. "Thanks, Magnus."

  
  
Magnus wakes up first the next morning because he can't breathe, because he inhaled probably half of Taako's braid, at least. He pulls back, wheezing, and gently disentangles himself from the elf. He knows that elves don't need to sleep, but Taako and Lup have always pretty much done it anyway. He can't blame them, sleeping feels pretty damn good. He ducks downstairs to grab some breakfast for them, to give Taako time to freshen up, and returns a few minutes later with two warm chocolate mousse filled croissants and his own tankard full of hot apple mead.

  
  
"Hey Taako," he whispers, setting their treat down on the dresser. "You up?"

  
  
"Mmmmm-hmmm. Don't want to be," comes a muffled groan from under the mountain of blankets. Taako had tented them over him, so there's a slight dent in the blankets. He throws out a hand to wave good morning, and flops it onto the pillow dramatically.

  
  
After a few minutes of coaxing from the warmth Taako finally emerges from his cocoon and stretches, still wearing the clothes from the night before and simply turned them to shades of blue with a snap. Laziness at its finest. Also Magnus was the only one to see these clothes. He eats the croissant and compliments it with a quiet surprise. Hot diggity shit.

  
  
They get ready, gathering their belongings, and head out. Taako links their arms when he can, braid around his neck again like a scarf, and they're set up soon after for the next stretch of their trip. Magnus takes the reigns, and Taako joins him immediately up front, leaning back with his hat in the cart itself. It'll be brought out when the sun is high. The trip is pretty boring, as usual. After spending a year being launched out of cannons and making it to their destinations in a matter of seconds, cart travel gets real fuckin' tedious. They play a few word games just to spice things up, share a few stories and speculate whether Lucas is gonna look any different from the last time they saw him. Most of which seems to be secretly centered on Magnus' unspoken worry that Lucas's new beard is gonna be cooler than his.

  
  
The road is too long for them to make it to another town by sundown, so with the last light of the day that night, the two of them set up camp a little ways off the road, in the shelter of the trees. They're so goddamn practiced at making camp after a century of learning how to provide for themselves, that they're all set up in a matter of minutes, with a fire blazing and Radcliffe hitched up to a tree eating grass and clover. Magnus pokes through his bags and finds them some cheese and jerky to snack on, but he's pretty sure Taako will have something a little more spectacular to whip up. He didn't exactly pack light, after all, neither of them did. They both kind of anticipated (hoped?) that they would have a long journey.

  
  
Initially, when they packed so much, Taako expected a journey like the good ol' days, at the Bureau, where they didn't need to worry about too much. The elf simply decides to cook up eggs for them to eat with the cheese and jerky. He hasn't tried magic in cooking yet, but he's able to share food again. Lup's helped so much in that department and he quells the fear of Magnus eating his cooking, making sure to salt the eggs with his low-sodium shaker at least twice.

  
  
The surprisingly simple meal is more a conservation of supplies, just in case this turns into an adventure instead. The woods were bitingly cold, and having both a fire and a warm human to keep one toasty is appealing to Taako. So, he took advantage. Since the outburst Taako's been a tad touchier than usual, but calm. They trade off jokes until they were too tired to think and retired to sleep, putting out the fire.

  
  
It's still dark when the first crackles alert Taako. His elf ears pick up the sounds first. He might have just dismissed it as a deer or something, except that the steps are too heavy, crunch too many leaves and twigs, and the gait is just plain too even to be anything with four legs. That is absolutely the sound of people approaching, in the dark, from the woods behind them. Any chances of them having good intentions is pretty well fucking zero.

  
  
And Magnus is still blissfully asleep right beside him, underneath the quilt he'd folded out over both of them, with Taako's head pillowed on his bicep.

  
  
Taako stiffens, and opens his eyes. They glow with dark vision, and he looks around while still motionless, careful to not make a sound as he gauges where and how many there are. Is it one? No, it has to be in a group. More likelihood to get the upperhand in a group. Heavy. Male? Possibly. Taako's head was reeling, his heart hammering in his chest. With baited breath Taako hears as two others follow the first one's steps, one lighter and the other-- it sounds barely there, but he knows after decades-- over an eon, of watching his back, watching his hearts-- his family's back, it's shrewd. Rogue?

  
  
Taako, very carefully, once they shift near, moves to take out his extra wand, but pats empty space in a moment of panic-- fuck,  he dropped it at the shop! He hisses at himself and shakes Magnus quickly, trying to get his attention. "Wake up."

  
  
"Mph," Magnus mumbles, his face scrunching a bit, but evidently he decides to ignore Taako, sniffing and keeping his eyes resolutely closed. But then there's a scrunch that's just a litle bit too loud too close, and his eyes pop open. The sliver of moonlight isn't really enough to give him full visibility, but it's enough for him to see a slightly darker shape move between the dark shapes of the trees.

  
  
"Oh fuck," he whispers. He sticks his hand very slowly out from under the blanket and silently calls the chance lance to him, which slides soundlessly across the grass and into his open hand, the comfortable cool weight of it on his still stinging palm instantly putting him a little more at ease. "Should we wait to see if they make a move or strike first and try to surprise them?" he whispers to Taako, already completely awake.

  
  
"Surprise. Not chancing them to sit pretty," he whispers as quietly as he can, voice shaky from adrenaline. He moves to try to find his Krebstar, which is unfortunately a little farther away than Taako wants.

  
  
He gets up quietly, and makes sure not to step on any crunchy leaves like the bandits are doing, crawling towards the bag where it rests against a bush, rummaging quickly in search of his glaive. He feels a hand close around the back of his collar and pull, and he yelps, yanked off his feet by something taller than him-- and evidently stronger. He tries to wrestle out of his shirt just to get away.

  
  
Magnus immediately leaps up to get to Taako's aid, and realizes he's pretty fucking useless in the dark. "You got a light cantrip?" he calls desperately, swinging the lance in a wide arc when he senses someone a little too near. He definitely makes contact with something, there's a slicing sound, and he has to just hope that he didn't accidentally cut Taako. Thankfully, he hears a very deep grunt and the sound of a man falling backwards over something. His heart is pounding as his head whips around in the darkness, trying in vain to find Taako.

  
  
Taako wordlessly moves to use prestidigitation to make sparks light up from his fingers, trying simultaneously to blind his captor, illuminating both him and the striking drow holding him, the man a little astonished as he pulls Taako back to try to hide the light. Thinking fast, Taako aims his sparks at the nearby bush, setting it ablaze, desperate to get out of the man's grasp with a panicked gasp. "Shit-- Maggie, can you see me?"

  
  
Something blunt hits Magnus in the head. Not hard enough to render prone, or unconscious, but it's enough to make his eyes go fuzzy. There's an array of lights, doubled, coming from Taako as he tries to fight off with a yelp when the man strikes his face. Magnus doubles forward with a grunt and he drops the lance, nearly falling to his knees. The bandit croons with a salacious tone, making the elf shudder in disgust.

  
  
"My aren't you a gorgeous little pet to look at? Boys, we found a keeper."

  
  
Magnus staggers forward and opens his hand, recalling the lance up into his palm, and he throws it with all his might at the bandit holding Taako with an enraged, slightly slurred, "Get your hands oFF HIM!" it snags his hood and sticks into the tree behind him, pinning him in place and yanking him off Taako with the force the lance threw him back.

  
  
He swings around, connecting a solid punch into the face of a man who'd had a knife ready to plunge somewhere bad (really there's no _good_ place to get stabbed) throwing him over one of their crates of supplies. The other man is back on his feet and Magnus can see where he'd made a pretty ineffectively shallow scratch across his chest with the sharp tip of the lance. He can't call it back without freeing the man he'd just gotten off Taako, so he grabs railsplitter from the ground and tosses Taako his rapier. They're so in sync that Magnus doesn't need to warn him it's coming, nor does Taako even fumble when he snatches it out of thin air.

  
  
He catches it perfectly after landing on the ground a little roughly, and he makes sure to cut up the drow's face (and pants, so they fall to his ankles) and rushes over to Magnus to help fend off the other two bandits that decided to try to fuck with the fighter.

  
  
"6 o'clock!" Taako shouts, flicking glowing eyes over everywhere, trying to give Magnus an advantage by knowing where to attack, when he misses the bandit by a hair Taako hisses in annoyance and connects a surprisingly solid kick against the third assailant, knocking the man back into the bushes. Magnus doesn't blink, he simply trusts Taako to give out positions. 3 o'clock, swipe at 10.

  
  
The bandits have had enough finally, and retreat. The bush from earlier where the drow is still pinned is crackling with a dying and small fire, quickly being suffocated by the dew saturating it. The last one growls at the two as he wrestles to get the chance lance off. "Aw look at that, homie."

  
  
"Your thieving days are over, aren't they?" Magnus demands. The man wheezes and nods frantically, tugging helplessly at the lance. Magnus outstretches his hand and the lance flies out of the tree, and into his palm. He raises it threateningly, but the man is already hightailing it away, running to catch up with his buddies and trying to yank up his pants pitifully. Leaving both Magnus and Taako panting and thrumming with adrenaline they haven't felt in months. It's been half a year since the last time either of them really fought anything with the intent to kill or be killed, and there's electricity crackling in the air between them. Magnus looks down at Taako, a small cut on his cheek bleeding down his neck, sweat shining in the hollow of his throat, lips parted and nostrils flared and pupils blown so wide his eyes are just black now. He looks _feral_.

  
  
That look, just the sight of his stirs up something in Taako, and he moves towards Magnus swiftly, eyes mirroring the same blown look, a little frazzled with a few speckled red spots on his own face, and he reaches up quickly, almost desperately, at Magnus' head. Their lips connect like electricity, and Taako swears he's in heaven, riding the high of adrenaline and kissing Magnus with a passion unlike him, holding onto him tight like a vice. There's a jolt through his body that hums with want and familiarity, and he goes with it.

  
  
The lance hits the grass with a dull thump, and Taako is immediately lifted off the ground by two strong hands, and sat on the edge of their cart, put at the perfect height to kiss and be kissed. Taako's ankles link behind Magnus' hips and his skirt rides up, and Magnus devours his mouth like a starving man. He still tastes like the spices he put in their eggs earlier, earthy and a little sweet. He can't get enough, licking past sharp teeth that he trusts implicitly not to bite down or hurt him. His hands are a flurry of activity, impossible to hold still, first cupping Taako's face, then sliding down his arms, back up his slim sides, behind his hips, tugging him closer, up his back, tangling in his hair. He wants to touch every part of Taako simultaneously.

  
  
Taako moans at every tug, every touch, and he's desperate to be closer, to nip at Magnus' lip longer, to get closer and find some relief, he's so close.... Magnus is intoxicating and big and safe, and he shudders at the gentle but greedy touches, and it's only when Magnus pulls away that Taako realizes the position that they're in, panting for breath and still kissing Magnus, and gasps in shock before pulling back to hide his face in the crook of Magnus' neck, fully excited and shivering with need.

  
  
What were... Taako doesn't finish that thought though, as he takes hold of Magnus' face and resists the overpowering urge to touch him more, more more. He pulls his ears back and hiccups, before pulling away with a bright red face, luckily unseen in the dark.

  
  
Magnus pants too, cupping the back of Taako's neck, face buried in his hair, and he laughs breathlessly. "Wow," he brushes Taako's hair out of his face. "That was uh. Neat." _Neat_ was the best he could come up with? His heart is still pounding and he kind of wants to throw Taako down in the grass but even if there wasn't the very real chance those bandits could come back (and he'd really rather neither of them get caught with their pants down) he feels a little  unsure about going there with his very best friend.

  
  
But then again... it isn't as if they haven't gone there before. And as he has that unconscious thought, the memories come surging back. The process of remembering the stolen century comes in bits and pieces for them, and sometimes they'll remember something all at once. He remembers a time, so early on they didn't even know eachother, when Taako would sneak into his room on the starblaster and they would hastily rut under the blankets with Magnus' hand clamped over the elf's mouth, before they even could trust one another enough to sleep side by side all night. Just desperate to feel something with someone who understands the crushing weight of losing their entire world.

  
  
The times that they snuck in after terrifying images of when they first left that darkness-- initially to feel, something. Magnus always made him feel safe, whole, and electrified. It quieted down to moments of vulnerability, hugs that lasted hours, but in fear of being caught with their pants down they had an unspoken agreement to just. Not. For their safety. They quickly because the closest of friends stemming from that.

  
  
Taako blinks back to the present, dumbfounded, and laughs breathlessly, still unable to actually get up from Magnus' very warm lap, and leans in to chance one more kiss. "Yeah.... " He pulls his ears back and adds one last, small kiss. Longing, lingering, but he couldn't help himself before getting shy suddenly and taking a deep breath to calm down.

  
  
His body says no to that, however. He can't keep his hands off Magnus even if he managed his lips to back off. "W-we-- uh... We should-- I mean...." he tries to reason, head still fuzzy and stomach flaring with lust.

  
  
"Yeah," Magnus agrees dumbly, even though he's not sure why. He's pretty sure that Taako is inviting him to continue if he wants, but... this doesn't feel like the right time or place. "You should uh... get some rest. I'll keep watch, in case those guys decide to come back. They shouldn't, we pretty summarily beat their asses, but you know. Just in case."

  
  
He pats Taako's thighs to get him to unlink his ankles and he steps back clearing his throat, his face burning, wondering what this... _means_ , now.

  
  
Taako, without much thought, just glad to have a direction to follow, gets off, dusts off his skirt, and lightly touches Magnus' arm in a hopefully reassuring way, and with a very soft and warm "Good night, Mags," he goes to sleep. Or. Pretends to sleep. Taako can't stop thinking about that kiss. He's terrified of the morning, if Magnus would think it was a mistake. Instead of worrying about it too long, he instead thought of what would have happened if Magnus wasn't so quick to save him, and curls up.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whoops this is a very long chapter

Morning comes at last, the night seemed to have stretched onwards longer than it should have, both of them obsessing over what.... _happened_. Taako kept trying to ignore the way his lips tingled or _what else_ tingled. He fell asleep face down with the plume of hair around his head peeking out from under the quilt.

  
  
They wake, pack up, and are on the road in no time.  
  
  


Come morning, Magnus is exhausted, but he wouldn't have put Taako in danger just to sleep a little, and insisted on keeping watch all night. He yawns frequently as they trundle along, but thankfully carriage driving isn't exactly a high-stakes sport, and Radcliffe does almost all the work himself of staying on and following the road, so it doesn't really matter if Magnus dozes for a couple minutes here and there until the bouncing wakes him back up.

  
  
Between sleepy episodes, all he can think about is that goddamn kiss. He can't believe he _forgot_ Taako and he were lovers at one point a long long time ago- it feels surreal to think about it now, like it couldn't have possibly happened for real. He's angry with himelf for forgetting- not voidfish forgetting, but _regular_ forgetting, even after he got his memories back he didn't remember that until now. What else had he forotten? What does Taako remember? Did Taako remember this whole time? Is that why he kissed him? He has so many questions, but he's afraid to actually ask any of them.

  
  
Taako breaks the silence first, as casually as he can. "You know it was bound to happen sooner or later, right, bubbuleh?" he asks, chuckling softly. There's no use to avoid the inevitable, or denying that it happened at all. Because it did. Last night. And it was.... it was _fantastic_. Taako barely got a wink of sleep, but luckily, being an elf means he doesn't need as much rest. At the moment, he's taken the reigns to make sure they're on track.

  
  
Magnus must have been up all night, and in the back of his mind Taako felt guilt, but he knows it was logical. He turns to Magnus with a little smirk, almost teasing. "You were fucking amazing last night. Just. All of last night." Leave it ambiguous.

  
  
Magnus gives a tired chuckle. "Yeah, I guess you're right." he can't quite meet Taako's eye, and his face is definitely red as hell. "You uh... you too. It's been a while... since we uh." he clears his throat. "Fought together. It was pretty spectacular." the euphemism is thinly veiled, but he's hoping Taako will go along with it for the sake of his own sanity.

  
  
"Yeah-- your fucking face was-- I felt alive back there, you know?" Taako understood the double meaning, and his ears twitch uncontrollably, trying hard to fight the blush coming on. Not even glamour can help him now. "I thought I was a gonner, you know. Deep end and all that. And you had me," he continues, shivering at the phantom touches he can still vividly recall. Taako presses his thighs together and hums thoughtfully. "You were wild."

  
  
"Oh look, it's Telmora," Magnus says, a little too loudly. Sure enough, the  city is visible now, about a mile downhill down the road, a black spot on the coast. It's not that he doesn't appreciate Taako's compliments. He's just. So incredibly unsure of where they're at now. There's still that guilt scratching in his gut over Julia, worried that if he ever gave anyone else the same kind of attention that it would somehow nullify or invalidate the love he had for her. But maybe he should have been feeling guilty for leaving Taako for Julia? Were they ever even an item? It was so long ago it was hard to remember, his feelings are all jumbled up about it.

  
  
Taako looks over in concern for Magnus, knowing this might be emotionally a big dilemma, and he drops the topic for now. Probably for the best, he was getting riled up again and, frankly, that's not a good idea at the moment. He perks up though at seeing Telmora in the distance, and leans back to enjoy the view.

  
  
"Want to stop for something to eat before we bug the nerdlord or, straight to him, big guy? I'm for whatever you want to do," Taako offers. He's trying hard to make things feel open and okay for Magnus, wanting to distract the fighter from. Last night. Maybe he wanted to forget about it altogether and although Taako would want to revisit that spot, he'll do what makes Magnus feel safe. They're dear friends.

  
  
They get to Telmora in no time at all, wandering the roads to find the hotel. They do snag a snack from one of the food carts in the area, and manage to chow down before they even find the "Big Ol' Theatre" as Magnus had recalled, which was actually called the Grand Theocratic. It's several stories tall with gilded front doors and fancy employees who look at the slightly rough adventurers with disdain as they approach the counter.

  
  
"We're here looking for a guy named Miller," Magnus tells the receptionist. "He should be expecting us."

  
  
The drow sneeringly turns towards a rack of stones of farspeech and grabs the one labeled "5.8" and speaks into it. "Mr. Miller, your guests are here."

  
  
In just a couple minutes, they're waved on through to the elevator, but Magnus quickly locates the stairs, for Taako's sake, and they climb up to the fifth floor. Lucas is already waiting outside in the hallway when they step out of the stairwell. He looks... pretty haggard, actually, but overall healthy and happy. His beard is a bit unkempt, he looks a little ungroomed, but he waves them into his room.

  
  
"Hey guys," he says, his voice still with that familiar slightly nasally clip to it. "Lucretia told me you were coming."

  
  
"Hey, nerdlord. Jeezy creezy... you look rough, homie" Taako looks over the scientist with eyebrows drawn up in surprise. At the mention of Lucretia he sobers up, all thought of the kiss gone, for now. "But uh. So, you know what we're here for then?" Taako cuts straight to the chase, putting a hand on his hip and juts it out a bit, looking over the other male shrewdly.  
  
  
"She didn't really mention, no," Lucas says, wringing his hands together in his lap as he sits on the edge of his bed. His entire room sort of looks like a tornado fucked a nerd, with charts and equations and garbage just sort of far flung into every corner and crevice, and his bed resembles something more like a nest at this point. "She said you were looking for something, and you thought I had it? She seemed... pretty upset when she contacted me."

  
  
"It's a crystal," Magnus says, so Taako doesn't feel any pressure to talk about Lucretia. "She says she gave it to you a long time ago, you used it to figure out how to make a floating base and how to contain human souls in robot bodies. She said she thinks you'll still have it."

  
  
Lucas's eyes widen with realization. "Oh... oh, jeez, I... I mean... yeah, I... I _did_ have it. But... boys, that- that crystal was in my _lab_."

  
  
"That... wouldn't be the same lab that N0-3113 happened to possess and cannonball into one of the judge's heads, would it?" Magnus grimaces.

  
  
Lucas matches his expression. "That would be the one."

  
  
"Unbelievable...." Taako mutters under his breath, crossing his arms to keep from tightening his hands into fists. Of course, the crystal was lost. For all they know, it's gone and consumed by the hunger, or stranded somewhere where the lab was hit. If they're lucky, it still exists.

  
  
"So uh.... You know roughly where that was? I mean great as she is at finding my shit, our shit, you think it's still out there?" Taako speaks through gritted teeth, though he looks normal for the most part as he speaks. He dissects the nervous look on the man's face. This is the same man that used souls, and lives, to power his research, like they were objects, with no regards for life. In the months after Story and Song, Taako's rehabilitated his old cold nature towards lives, where his twin has reminded him again and again that people aren't dust, that they do matter. He inhales steadily. Be rational. Be calculating. "Listen.... if you, Lucas, can help us.... That would benefit Magnus and I greatly on our journey. If we have a lead, instead of futilely search for this important item that was formerly in your possession, I will be grateful. Please tell us," Taako explains, voice steady, and careful. It's not cold, but it's not his usual easy lilt. 

  
  
Lucas seems more than a little startled by how level-headed Taako is being. He glances up at Magnus, who nods, and then back down at Taako. "Uh- yeah, I think- lemme see what I can do, I think- it was pretty windy that day, and my lab took down the judge right over the felicity wilds. I think-" he mutters to himself a little bit as he unrolls a map of the forest. "I bet I can triangulate a place it could have gone down, give you at least a mile haystack instead of a 700 thousand mile one."

  
  
"Hey, Lucas, that'd be awesome," Magnus says brightly. "Taako's got a locate object spell that works pretty far, so we'd be able to find it from there."

  
  
"It'll take me some time," Lucas explains. "It's not going to be a short calculation. Do you think... you could do me a favor while I do this?"

  
  
"Sure, what's that?" Magnus asks, eager to help.

  
  
"I was supposed to pick up some components on the other side of the city this evening. Do you think you could meet my guy and pick them up for me? They're just some minor arcana machine parts, I'm trying to make a machine that sucks up dust to replace brooms to make cleaning easier." Lucas says, already scribbling something in the corner of the map. "I'm thinking of calling it.... a Dustsucker."

  
  
"Keep workshopping that," Magnus chuckles as Lucas rips off the corner and hands them the address of the place. "We'll get your stuff."

  
  
Taako listens carefully and nods, expression neutral as he looks over Magnus' arm to read the address. Seems easy enough. Retrieve magical parts from some place and bring it back. Like old times. Taako takes the paper gently from Magnus and peers over to the map.

  
  
"Felicity wilds, huh? Haven't been there in a while. So, uh, nerdlord. Anything else you need? Or are we good to go?" he asks, seeing if they can get more information about where they're going and who they're seeing. "Also, who should we look out for exactly? Lotta thugs to comb through for magical parts."

  
  
"Here's the payment," he hands off a bag of coins to Magnus. "I don't know his name, I was referred to him through another contact. He's described as average height and average build. The place I was supposed to pick up the parts isn't exactly populated, so whoever's there, that's probably the guy. Just ask him if he has Miller's things."

  
  
"Sounds easy enough and not even remotely shifty," Magnus says, pocketing the pouch. "We'll be back with your shit by tonight, probably."

  
  
"See you then," Lucas says, already bent over his table and scribbling things on the map.

  
  
They take the stairs down to the ground floor again and Magnus glances at the paper in Taako's hand again. "We're gonna need to ask for directions, aren't we?"

  
  
"Well, unless I can find our way, but yeah let's ask around. Maybe get a bite to eat-- I'm starving, how about you, bubbeleh?" Taako looks up to Magnus with a curious look, the neutral and aloof look he gave earlier melting away into something a little softer when he turns to Magnus.

  
  
As they walk out he studies the address again and links their arms together, snapping his fingers to make his skirt more fluffy, the blouse a more paper color, and his cape becomes a scarf for the cold weather, purely for aesthetics though it keeps him warm.

  
  
"Yeah, that snack earlier didn't really cut it. And I don't think we're in a big hurry, Lucas is probably gonna have a huge math boner in there for a few hours at least," he says, gladly linking his arm with Taako's. He... really, really likes how touchy Taako has been since burning him. Magnus will never admit it, but he thrives on physical touch, and it isn't something that he really gets all that often. He subsists off of physical affection, and has been drinking in every second of contact. He hasn't touched another person in half a year. His dogs give him plenty of affection, but nothing like the purpose and intent of a hand on his arm.

  
  
"No. No fucking way," Magnus stops in his tracks on a street corner as a light-up sign down the road to their left catches his attention, and he points to it with his other hand. "No _fucking_ way."

  
  
"Hm, what's up, homie?" Taako turns when they're stopped and searches in the direction Magnus is pointing. It takes him a second but he stops, ears flying up and forward, and he gasps dramatically with an equally loud and disbelieving, "No way"

  
  
Before them is a fine establishment, the rustic looking building humbly advertising their brand, a delicious, common restaurant by the name of Olive Garden. Before they can stand and stare any longer Taako bolts towards it with reckless abandon, Pulling the fighter along by their linked arms excitedly. Taako rushes in. "Hell yeah, unlimited pasta pass here we fucking come! I think we resolved our food sitch, Mango, get ready for a good time," Taako exclaims, moving hurriedly to the door.

  
  
"I can't fucking believe it," Magnus laughs as they're seated by a waiter and given a pot of tea and basket of breadsticks. "You've been carrying that thing along for _how long_ now? And we've never found an Olive Garden? This is just- it's magical, it's just fucking magical."

  
  
And then the waiter returns, and places a single, romantic candle down on the table between them, and leaves again. Magnus watches him go in confusion and then looks back at the candle, and up at Taako. "You don't think- he thinks we're on a date?"

  
  
Taako's ears are red, but it doesn't betray on his face, he looks over to Magnus and waggles his eyebrows, taking up a bread stick and waves around languidly. "I mean we _are_ at Olive Garden, darling, why _not_ make it a date?" He smirks to the human and slowly eats the bread, looking around. Taako taps a boot against Magnus' leg afterwards and hums softly. "I mean I'm all gussied up and you're stupidly handsome, no wonder they thought that, Maggie." Internally, he's fucking dying. His heart is hammering loud enough to burst from his chest, he can hear his own heartbeat in his ears, and winks at Magnus. He partially wishes for it to affect Magnus, or make him laugh. Anything is good.

  
  
Magnus does laugh. "Are you kidding me? You look amazing and I look like a dumpster fire. I haven't groomed properly in days, I think there's a new civilization cropping up in the wilds of my sideburns, and I've been wearing this shirt four days in a row. If anything I look like an escaped convict that you, a beautiful super model angel wizard, brought to Olive Garden out of pity."

  
  
"There's no pity here, my man, it's all gen-u-ine interest. Want a bit of sprucing up, Mags? From yours truly, a beautiful super model angel wizard?" Taako chuckles, eyeing Magnus openly. Sure he has that rough look, but he looks amazing. There's a stirring in Taako's gut just gazing at him and smiles. Without going too far in fantasy land Taako waves a fork up and waves it in a circle. "I'd be willing to make you look a little tidier but honestly I'm digging the wild, rough look," he mutters, playing with the end of his braid afterwards, and crosses his legs. "You wear it well."

  
  
Magnus looks down with a chuckle. There's definitely some color on his cheeks. He clears his throat and pours them both a mug of hot tea. "Uh- no, thanks though, I prefer doing it with my hands. Shaving kind of sucks, the urge to just let it grow out into a big grandpa wizard beard is pretty strong sometimes. Must be nice not to have to shave," he looks up at Taako again, and sips his tea. Goddamn, he loves tea. "Or- do you have to? Do you just magic it away?"

  
  
"Elves don't typically grow facial hair. Or any hair besides what's on our heads, really. I was just going to tidy it for you, maybe smooth out your shirt a bit. No shaving necessary, just a bit of grooming," he answers, taking up the mug and hums softly at the welcoming warmth, making him relax. "You with a grandpa wizard beard would be kickass, not gonna lie. But your sideburns would be lost in it," he jokes, taking a sip. The waiter takes their order and they chat about benign things, all the while Taako is leaning forward to listen and smiles more than smirks, enjoying their meals and pasta. He taps Magnus' leg with his foot a few more times while shifting, a little wiggly like he's trying to get comfortable.

  
  
Magnus might be a little bit dense, but he's not an idiot. He knows Taako is flirting with him. He would have been able to tell that even if they _hadn't_ made out like savage animals last night. It's putting a funny, clenchy feeling in his belly that he's not sure is good or not. He knows it's making his palms sweat and his heart pound, though. So he asks something hopefully to change the subject, but also to hopefully answer a question that's been floating around in his head since the first time Taako gave him one of those looks that are all eyelashes and teeth. "So what's Kravitz been up to lately?"

  
  
Taako pauses but doesn't stop, taking a thoughtful sip before looking over Magnus shrewdly. The look is gone in an instant and he smiles warmly. "You know, cleaning up the Astral Plane, being a spooky skeleton with my sister and her husband. Talking about potential opportunities.... Why do you ask, bubbeleh?" It's obvious Magnus is trying to gauge Taako's availability, and he smiles at that. If things go along well enough he hopes things fall into place like he's been hoping. This might make or break the spark between them he's been feeling lately. God that look Magnus was giving him....

  
  
"Uh- no reason, just making smalltalk," Magnus says. "But so you're still... together, right? Everything's still... good on that front?"

  
  
"Oh-- for sure. I mean, the dynamic's changed. He was thinking about-- uh-- uh-- bringing in a third party into the mix for me. He's not really that kind of fella but-- get this, he brought it up first. Scared the shit out of me, I thought I had miscasted charm person on him. Luckily, that wasn't the case," Taako rambles, not paying much mind to what he's saying. He's panicking on the inside. Taako gulps nervously and looks from anywhere but Magnus suddenly, almost.... shy? His shoulders are drawn up, the scarf sliding up to almost cover the elf's lips, the ones he keep biting. "Soooo... yeah. Still a thing but he's been trying to get me to-- uh-- toooooooo get out there. It-- this is probably weird for you-- ummm. How's your pasta?"

  
  
Magnus had yet to take the first bite, because his fork had just stopped somewhere between the plate and his mouth as he listens to Taako ramble. His ears are nearly as red as his hair now, and he quickly jams the bite into his mouth to give him a few precious seconds to think. "Oh yeah? That sounds.... ffffun." Magnus says, completely out of the loop as far as open relationships go. He's afraid to ask, but kind of wants to, at the same time. "You got anybody in mind?"

  
  
"Well-- m-maybe," he stammers. He fucking stammers. Taako internally swears at himself before taking a deep breath, the back of his neck hot with embarrassment and a little bit of fear. He doesn't want to chase Magnus off. Should he be subtle and hope Msgnus picks it up, or should he be blunt? Taako's not good at the truth, but this, this situation? Probably calls for truth. All the signs say positive, Magnus seems to want it too. Maybe. Taako doesn't want to barge in, especially because of Julia.

  
  
That's something you don't get over so quickly. And Magnus loves with all of his being. But it's worth a shot, and he knows they'll stay friends even if the offer is rejected. Awkward, maybe, but he's not afraid it'll ruin things. "He's-- uh, he's pretty close with me. Real good at protecting. Um. When we first met we sort of had a thing but-- but I guess not.... He's a good friend though. Ruggedly handsome." Taako holds his breath and grips onto the table, prepared for the inevitable rejection. It's okay. It's okay, he tells himself, legs shaking under the table.

  
  
"Wow, I didn't know you had a thing for Barry, does Lup know?" Magnus jokes, and he knows that Taako knows he's teasing, but he's not quite ready to confront what he's just learned, he's got a lot of soul searching to do before he gets there. He hopes Taako will forgive him for deflecting.

  
  
Taako laughs at that, part relief for the humor, part shaky nerves. He was expecting a full on no to that, but he gets the message. Taako will wait for the answer to come on Magnus' terms. He wipes at his eyes and sighs. "It's a love that transcends planes, m'dude. Lup and I can switch places and Barry wouldn't even notice."

  
  
Taako pointedly avoids talking about Kravitz, and gives the human a small smile. Maybe not as big as before, a little scared, but it's hopeful. To anyone else he looks like the epitome of easy-going. It's so easy for Magnus to read him though. "So uh, should we finish up and get the parts for sir nerds-a-lot then?" he questions, wanting Magnus to feel more at ease now after the bomb the elf dropped. It'd give him some room to do things, to think if he wants.

  
  
"Yeah, I think so. We probably shouldn't stay here until we can't move." They wind up paying only for the drinks and a total of nine coins for what amounted to eight bowls of pasta (most of which went inside Magnus)

  
  
The city is starting to get a little darker now, the sun sets so early this late in the year, and the strings of fairy lights and lanterns are starting to illuminate the city. Even if it is cold, it's beautiful this time of year, and Magnus can't take his eyes off all the fantastic displays in all the shop windows around them. This city reminds him a lot of Neverwinter, but a little more artsy and a little less fancy. As they ask around for what direction they should head in and follow the way people point, they pass a wide, fenced-in area housing a huge frozen pond that dozens of people are skating around on with rented ice skates, being given out at a booth. Magnus gives Taako a toothy grin.

  
  
"You wanna?" Taako shares the smile, chuckling slightly as he watches Magnus look at everything and anything, the lights making Magnus' gold ones glow. He feels a soft warmth, like what he feels with Krav, and puts a hand over his chest. Over the scarf so it looks like he's simply keeping the garment in place. "We can do that real quick, darling," he offers, taking out his coin bag to go to the booth. Magnus, happy, makes Taako beam. They detour to get on the rink and strap the skates on. Taako's lightly holding onto the fence to get the hang of it at first, and turns to Magnus. "You holding up okay there bubbeleh?"

  
  
"Yeah, you ever ice skated before?" Magnus swings and spins around backwards so he can face Taako, and offers both his hands out. He laughs, beaming so wide his missing tooth shows, his cheeks and nose and ears red from both the cold and delight. "Come on, it's not that bad, I'll show you. You look like a baby deer or something, gimme your hands."

  
  
"Bonafied Bambi, babe. Never skated on ice before," he admits, gripping onto the fence with one hand and reaching out with the other, legs just a touch shaky. He grips Magnus' larger, steadier hand, and laughs breathlessly, the cool air making it puff out into a soft cloud.

  
  
Both hands are quickly on the human and honestly Taako is glad he's so big because he was _definitely_ going to fall on this ice. He slips a little and his face becomes good friends with Magnus' chest, laughing away the nerves. "Well-- uhh-- uh-- this is fun!"

  
  
Magnus spins around again behind Taako and holds him from behind by his hands, so Taako can lean back into his chest if he needs to. "Just push your feet forward and out, like this," he demonstrates first, with Taako just gliding in front of him for now, safely in his embrace. "Now you try, I won't let you fall."

  
  
The wizard, despite being the best transmutations expert in reality, as well as an infamously agile elf-- flip wizard, if you will, is not used to ice. And he tries tentatively to slide one foot in front of the other, leaning back against Magnus at first for safety, and continues to do so for the next strides until he's able to keep his balance for the most part, looking at his feet the majority of the time.

  
  
His braid slips off his shoulders so it hangs over one, across his chest, and tightens his fists. "Okay, okay, so I'm-- uh... getting it. Cool. Okay," he chants, trying to go along until they're both slowly skating along the edge of the rink, Taako gaining confidence and getting used to the feel of the skates. The elf stops himself from reaching for Magnus' hands at first, worried that he'll burn the fighter again, but turns around to grasp onto the human with an accomplished smile.

  
  
"There you go, you're getting it!" Magnus praises, spinning them around again so he's skating backwards while Taako skates forward facing him, holding onto his hands. "Look at you, nothing can stop Taako, not even ice, not even getting on ice on purpose with knife shoes." He lets go of Taako's hands, encouraging him to try on his own, but still holds his hands up, ready to catch Taako if he stumbles.

  
  
Taako leans forward to chase Magnus' hands, gasping slightly when he's left to skate on his own. He pulls back long ears to concentrate and laughs shortly. "Y-yeah, uh. Well of course nothing can-- uh, can stop me, natch--" he stumbles immediately after, and widens purple eyes. He yelps and tries to skate faster to get to Magnus and keep balance, practically slamming his hands ont top of his friend's-- There's no sense of balance on the ice, and Taako's ankle twists from under him, toppling against the rugged man with an undignified yelp.

  
  
To Magnus' credit, he had said he wouldn't let Taako fall. That didn't mean he wouldn't fall _with_ him. He topples over backwards, his skates slipping out from under him and he crashes down onto the ice on his back with a matching yelp and a laugh. Taako is on top of him, spared the hard ice by draping over Magnus' body, and the crowds skating around them part like the sea to give the sprawled pair some space.

  
  
"Upsie doo," Magnus tries to sit up and get Taako upright, but the ice is slippery and they keep slipping around like a couple of bowlegged lambs, falling all over one another.

  
  
Taako's more than a little red as he hisses out apology and joke one after the other, trying futiley to not think about their position. He laughs and is finally able to get to his knees, skirt riding up his legs a little as he tries to pull Magnus upright. Taako is inbetween the other's legs, and his hair is unraveled from their struggling, the loose braid now gone and Taako's river of hair is spilled out all over. It curls along the ice like golden threads and he grumbles softly. "Ah fuck, that's gross.... Mags, I don't think I like ice."'

 

Magnus just laughs as he finally finds his feet and manages to pull Taako up. He takes his hair and twirls it a few times until he can tie the band around the end to at least keep it out of his face in a twisty ponytail. "That one was my bad, I fell and took you with me," he says, taking Taako's hands again and pulling him back in position against his chest. "Let's just go around a couple times, you can just stay like this now. I won't let you go."

  
  
"You know what, that sounds better. I like that idea. Let's uh-- don't let go again," the elf pleads, the last part a little rushed as they simply skate along, Taako relaxing into the secure hold. It's easier, now, and he can finally feel the glide in skating on the slippery ice. He savors the moment and grips Magnus' hands with the ever returning warmth back in his chest.  
  
They stay like that for a few minutes before they both are done skating, Taako's legs cramping from balancing like that. Once they hop out and are ready to go, Taako hesitates, once again, to take Magnus' hand. So he links their pinkies together, hoping it's okay, and moves to find the person with the minor arcane items. They don't have a really hard time finding the spot from there, though Lucas probably couldn't have picked a shadier location if he really put some thought into it, in an alleyway behind a defunct old fantasy pizzeria. There's already a shape waiting in the alley, the moon still too low in the sky to shine any light down on their form.

  
  
"Hey, you cool?" Magnus calls down the aisle, perhaps a little nervous now, and he squeezes Taako's pinkie in his own. "We're here on behalf of Lucas Miller. We got your payment."

  
  
"Yeah, uh, we're here for him. You know, on his behalf-- like he said. We're cool. Just uh. Be cool, you dig?" Taako calls out, and looks up to Magnus before walking toward the figure with the Krebstar in his hand, in his bag in case things heated up and they have to hightail it.

  
  
"What's up, homie?" he tries, trying to approach in a friendly manner.

  
  
"You have GOT to be JOSHING me!" they hear a familiar wailing sort of voice come out of the alley.

  
  
Magnus immediately stops in his tracks. " _Garfield?"_

  
  
The orange tabaxi steps out into the light, holding a duffle bag clearly full of some kind of items. "I thought I left you fellas behind for GOOD! I hoped I'd never SEE you again! This is just terrible, my night is RUINED!"

  
  
"Garfield, we-" Magnus does his best not to laugh.

  
  
"That's GARFIELD the DEALS WARLOCK, to YOU clowns!" the tabaxi demands. "I've half a mind to KEEP these goods for MYSELF and still charge you for PAIN and SUFFERING!"

  
  
"That's fair. That one's on me, thug, I can-- hey, if you want, we can make a fair, adult deal. I've changed since you last saw me, and I think it's only fair you get to do things on your own terms after what I-- what I did," Taako offers, trying not to snicker. He moves to look through his bag, and then remembers-- oh! That's right. He moves to take out one of the two crystals he snatched from the shop, and holds it out for Garfield to see.

  
  
"I present to you, as an offering of peace, a lovely, piece of Mundane Crystal."

  
  
"I don't WANT some garbage crystal! You TOOK my SWORD! AGAIN! I think I'm legally within my rights to KILL you BOTH!"

  
  
"Let's not get crazy, Garfield- uh, The Deals Warlock," Magnus says. Although Garfield is sort of maybe technically threatening them, he has a hard time feeling actually threatned by the tiny cloak-wearing tabby cat. "You're not doing this for us, it's for Lucas Miller-"

  
  
"I don't know Lucas Miller from ADAM!" the warlock exclaims. "I just did a TRANSACTION with him cause that's how Garfield DO! I'm not MARRIED to him!"

  
  
"Okay, okay, you have every right to be angry with us, but how about this," Magnus says. "I've still got that sword, it's uh. Mounted on my wall actually. But I'm not really using it anymore, so you can have it back, once we get through with this adventure, if you give us a way to contact you, you can have it back. On my honor, on my sideburns."

  
  
"I'm not falling for THAT ONE again!" Garfield says. "You're going to have to do BETTER than THAT!"

  
  
"Alright, this is a rare, Taako moment here, but I swear on my school and sister, we'll get you the sword back. I'm-- phew, okay, uh," Taako shakes himself out, and takes Magnus' hand fully for this one. To have the confidence to say it. "I'm sorry, you know? That wasn't cool of me. We did-- uh, it did save Magnus, and for that I'm grateful. Pl-- uh, please.... give us a chance.... and..... forgive us for doing you-- uh-- uh, doing you wrong." He clears his throat, and goes from honest to guarded, in case the tabaxi rejects his apology.

  
  
Garfield is actually stunned speechless by Taako's apology. Even Magnus is looking down at him with pride shining off him like sunlight, smiling warmly down at the visibly nervous elf.  "Well." Garfield isn't shouting for once. "I _don't_ forgive you. But. I _might_. If I _do_ get my sword back, once and for all. I'm definitely going to need some _collateral_ thought because no way in hell do I trust either of you."

  
  
"That- that is fair," Magnus says, patting down his pockets. "Uhh- okay, how's this?" he pulls his hand out of his bag, hesitantly, holding a little glass orb with a magical fish inside. "I love this little fishy dude with my life. But I'll let you hold onto him until we get your sword back to you. That's how serious I am."

  
  
"You're giving me a fish."

  
  
"No, it's- Taako, back me up here," Magnus says, clutching Steven protectively.

  
  
"Wh-- wait are you sure?" Taako turns to Magnus with a stunned expression. Magnus has always had Steven. This unsettles the elf and he looks between Garfield and his best friend, ears down uncertainly. "He's no ordinary fish, homie. I mean-- that's... that's really important. I'm not joshing you when I say this but-- Magnus, you're seriously going to give it to him...?" he stops his own speech to convince the deals warlock to mutter softly to the human. "That's-- Magnus I don't think.... I mean he's important to you. You don't have to do it." Taako doesn't realize his voice is loud enough for Garfield's keen ears to pick up his words, the sincerity in them. Taako just feels odd that Magnus is making up for Taako's past decisions.

  
  
"Yeah, I'm sure," Magnus says, holding out the orb with the fish. The tabaxi takes it in both hands, inspecting the orb and the little happy fish inside. "We did Mr. The Deals Warlock a dirty, and we gotta put that right."

  
  
"Well... okay. If this is as valuable to you as you say," Garfield says, tucking it into his bag, and he holds out both the duffel bag and a small pouch of powder. "When  you're ready to give me the sword and get your precious fish back just throw some of that powder in a fire, and we'll be able to trade."

  
  
"Just... be careful with him, please," Magnus says. "He means the world to me."

  
  
"Oh I'll take GOOD care of him!" Garfield says, apparently getting the spring back in his voice as Magnus also hands over the coin pouch, to pay him for the goods. "Away!" and in a cloud of smoke from a bomb he throws to the ground, the warlock has vanished. Magnus still looks pretty unsettled by losing Steven, but he gives a tense, victorious smile as he holds up the duffel bag of goods.  
  
  
  
"That's how we do." Taako wraps an arm around Magnus, initiating a hug at his side. That was a difficult sacrifice-- even if temporary, for Magnus to do. And Taako is grateful for that, even if he stuffs away the guilt. "We got the goods, want to go back to Miller now?" He smiles encouragingly and looks up at the bag then to the fighter. "I've got to say, my man, what you did back there was... You were great. I'm sorry about, uh..." he trails off. He's never been good with condolences, but hopefully Magnus gets what he means.

  
  
"Hey, you too," Magnus squeezes the elf in a side hug. "That was really brave what you did and I'm really proud of you. I mean that in the least patronizing way possible, I promise. Let's get this shit back to Lucas."

  
  
The trip back through town is a little less exciting than the way there, but it's getting late and there aren't many people around anymore, and furthermore it's starting to get very cold. They make it back to the Theocratic and climb the stairs despite being exhausted, knocking on Lucas' door.

  
  
"It's unlocked!" calls his voice from inside, and they step in to see him still furiously working away, and somehow also now covered in ink. They shut the door behind him and Lucas looks up to greet them. "I'm not quite done yet, but it's late, you probably wouldn't have left tonight anyway. You can stay in the other room in my suite, if you want," he points to a door linking another room to his. "I haven't really gone in there at all. There is only one bed, though, if that's going to be a problem?" he looks up again, his glasses barely clinging to the tip of his nose. "Oh- you got the stuff, awesome, just toss it on the bed. Thank you so much."

  
  
"No problemo, nerdlord. And uh, yeah. Didn't realize who you contacted, so that was a bit fun. How's the progress going, homie?" Taako cocks his hips slightly, hands on his hips as Magnus sets the duffel bag on the bed. The elf saunters over to the scientist and peers down curiously at the other's work, blowing back a long lock from his face and tucks it behind his ear. Ugh, it's infuriating when his hair's not in a braid.

  
  
Even if Lucas says he's not done, it's fascinating seeing the calculations scribbled everywhere, only looking. He learned long ago on the Starblaster to not touch a nerd's notes. Lup cuffed his ear for that one many a time. "You look like you're getting close."

  
  
"Yeah, I'm narrowing it down." Lucas says, tracing a few lines with his fingers. "It would be a lot easier if I had the exact measurements of the windspeed and direction that day, but I'm just going off my memory here, and I spent most of that day in a mechsuit. Luckily the ruins of the judge is still there and I've been there a few times to pick over what was left of my lab, so I've got a pretty good idea of the spread radius that the wreckage achieved." He looks up at Taako as he realizes he managed to get that whole thing out without any grief. "Hey, you didn't interrupt me or say mean things to me. Are we friends now?"

  
  
"Don't push your luck, thug, you're still on my naughty list. But this is important." Taako smirks slightly at that, amused, and kneels over to rest his arms on the table, so he's bent at the waist. "So the circumference-- or I guess perimeter works, is uh... somewhere condensed into this area?" Taako asks, waving a circle around a point on the map, where Lucas is focusing on. "You know I sure hope you get it down to where it is. I mean. It would suck if-- uh, if it ricocheted off and in the opposite direction from the judge." He looks back to Magnus to check on him, feeling weird not being around the big guy.

  
  
Lucas' eyes widen as he looks up at Taako. "You know math?"

  
  
Magnus quickly looks away when Taako glances in his direction. He hadn't been inspecting his skirt to see if Taako's ass was still the same as he remembered. "Uh- yeah, he helped our science officer triangulate maps for a long time while they were looking for his sister. Taako's actually pretty damn smart. Smarter than me, at least."

  
  
"I had no idea," Lucas says, still looking up at Taako. "I kind of just thought you were like, an idiot. My bad."

  
  
"No no, that's just fine. I thought I was for years too, since the Director, you know, took all that away. But yeah, I know math. You have to be smart to get the kind of grades it took to get hand-picked for inter-dimensional travel. But you know all that by now," he explains, waving off the assumption like water off a duck's back.Taako faces forward again and crosses his ankles, leaning further on his arms with a look of concentration as he calculates in his head, murmuring to himself and looking over the map to help. He may not like Lucas for all that he's done, but Taako can admire the scientific innovation the human has.  "Hm... Okay. So I see a problem here. You see this?" Taako points to the general area that Lucas has scribbled on, careful, again, to not touch anything. "Doesn't it make sense it'd be more to the left? I mean if I'm seeing the number right, it's closer to the mountain front."

  
  
"Oh- _shit_ , you're right," Lucas says, sitting back, his jaw dropping. "Fuck, I almost sent you... shit. You're absolutely right, the wind would drift around the mountains and change direction. God. Fuck, maybe I should finish this in the morning, have I mentioned I haven't slept in about 29 hours?" he pulls his glasses down to rub his eyes with both hands. "I forgot _mountains_ have _mass_."

  
  
"Okay, yeah, maybe we should all turn in," Magnus says. He's kind of feeling pretty eager to cuddle Taako again right about now. "Get some shut eye, Miller," he says as he goes to the door linking the two rooms and beckons Taako over with a wave.

  
  
The room is pretty plain, but that works fine. This looks like the most comfortable bed yet so far, with thick fluffy down comforters, huge pillows and a mattress nearly a foot thick. Magnus flops down on his face on the bed with a content groan, sinking down into the layers of fluff. After leaving the sleep deprived mess of a man Taako chuckles at Magnus and sits down beside him, kicking off the tall boots and socks before flopping perpendicular across Magnus' back, effectively pinning him, though with a roll Taako would be easily moved.

  
  
"Well today's been eventful hasn't it? Had a good time though. How about you, bubbeleh?" he muses, messing with Magnus' hair lightly with deft fingers, carting through the auburn locks without much thought. "I know there wasn't any real fight, but hopefully you had a baller time."

  
  
"I think we had enough fight last night," Magnus says, muffled into the blankets. "Although... if you want a fight..." Lightning fast he flips over and snatches Taako around the waist, throwing him down into the blankets and immediately begins to dig his fingers into his sides to initiate a killer tickle fight.

  
  
Taako bursts into laughter, immediately trying to wiggle away, spine arched and feet pushing against the covers to roll away, anything to get away from Magnus' fingers. "Magnus!!" he screams, giggles erupting from him so suddenly that he can't breathe in the same instant.

  
  
"Y-you fuck! Ge-- hhhhhaha--!! I hate you!" he cries, obviously not meaning a lick of what he's saying as he pleads for mercy, threatens to make all the fighter's clothing bright vivid pink and ugly ass puke green if he doesn't stop. He can't think with all of the tickling and he tries to cover his middle, his sides, his neck, and the backs of his legs all at once.

  
  
There's a knock at the door a moment later and Lucas' voice, "Um, are you _actually_ children?"

  
  
Magnus can only grin as he gives Taako relief and pulls the blankets over to flop down. He drags the exhausted elf under the covers with one arm and pulls the blankets over them with a laughing "Sorry, _dad_ ," and he nuzzles into the back of Taako's neck, breathing in that comforting scent of his soft, soft hair.

  
  
"Go the fuck to sleep, fool!" Taako adds on, breathless with the last legs of laughter from the tickle fight, flinching with a playful look when Magnus first touches him but relaxes immediately, registering that the tickle fight is over. It took a lot out of him, and he curls up his legs to hide the little problem under his skirt. The elf rubs at his face to cool down and sighs. "Oh you're _evil_ , Mags. You're going to have to deal with a _lot_ next time you do that. Maybe I'll magic missile you in the nards next time."

  
  
He tries desperately to calm himself, wiggling about in excitement-- both from the small high that the fight caused and the half-mast between his legs, trying to ignore it as best he can while Magnus, his assailant, has his nose pressed to his neck. Another problem. He lets it be, and wraps the blanket tighter around himself to try and settle down to catch a few hours of sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> another long chapter! natto wants me to let ya'll know they accidentally typed "hange hand" instead of mage hand at one point and we're still laughing about it

Come the next morning, they both have to work to disentangle themselves. Taako's hair is absolutely unruly, only magic can be used to settle it down it's so out of control, and Magnus takes the opportunity of a fully stocked bathroom to shave, groom, comb his hair back and really get spruced up. He even changes out his white shirt for a dark burgundy brown. He lost the ties for the front of this one, so it shows off a pretty decent amount of chest hair, which might be problematic in the cold, but he always runs pretty hot so it shouldn't be a problem.

  
  
He goes down to the lobby to fetch breakfast and comes back up (the elevator this time, thank god) with three plates balanced with fresh fruit, puff pastries and salty apple sausage, along with a big pot of coffee. It's not easy to balance it all, but he manages to set one plate down along with a big steaming mug of coffee in Lucas' room, and then carries the other two back into his and Taako's.

  
  
"Good morning," he greets Taako as he pours him a hot cup of coffee, and gives the sleepy elf a smooch on the temple. "I kinda wish we could just take this bed with us, this is the best sleep I've had in a long time.

  
  
"You're telling me, this is better than the one back home," he mutters, yawning as he finally sits up. The blanket is wrapped around him over his head and he takes the cup, sipping on it with sleepy eyes. His hair pools all around, even after the spell to make it more manageable it's simply everywhere, going over the edge of the bed. He hums and shivers at the heat spreading from the coffee. "Good stuff."

  
  
After they finish eating, and Taako is dressed, they go to Lucas' room. Taako is wearing a different skirt, something flowy and soft. He has tights underneath for the cold but it's his mauve skirt, the one just before Refuge. It's an old favorite. "How's it coming along, hombre?"

  
  
"Much better now that I've had some sleep, I've already fixed two errors in my calculations," Lucas says, clearing a bunch of papers off a second chair and sipping his coffee, nibbling at some fresh fruit as he invites Taako to sit and help him with the math.

  
  
Magnus takes the opportunity to start cleaning up Lucas's area a little bit, keeping papers in the general stacks they already were in and throwing away garbage, he even makes the bed and hangs up damp towels. There's something Magnus finds very cathartic about cleaning, and he bustles about like a housewife while Lucas and Taako go over the math. In a matter of an hour, between the two of them, they've successfully triangulated and narrowed down the field of where the crystal probably fell down to a square mile. It's still a big field to search, but it at least gives them a starting point that Taako can start throwing _detect object_ around inside. Satisfied with their work, for the most part, he smirks. Despite the pain of searching for his sister, it really benefits the process of finding objects. He feels accomplished and nabs one of the last remaining bits of fruit from Lucas' plate before standing.

  
  
"Alright, so uh. Let me make a copy of the map real quick and we'll get going." Taako takes a blank piece of paper, makes it transparent, and gently places it over the map where their work is, and with a snap of his fingers and a spark of purple, Taako lifts the paper to show that it's a perfect copy of the area, without stealing from the original image.

  
  
"Ch'aboy's still got it," he purrs, waving the paper for Magnus to notice as he turns to partially face the fighter. He noticed the cleaning and.... to be honest, it was endearing.

  
  
"Chaboy never lost it," Magnus says with a chuckle. There's just a moment where they smile at eachother, and Lucas breaks the silence to say,

  
  
"Uhh, did you two get married since I last saw you or what?"

  
  
"Pff," Magnus shoves him by the back of the head, and his glasses topple onto the table. "Thanks again for this, Lucas. We owe you one." he slings both his and Taako's bags up onto his shoulders and jerks his head for Taako to follow him as they head out the door and down the stairs to reclaim their wagon and get on the road towards the felicity wilds.

  
  
"See ya, nerdlord," Taako chirps, completely ignoring his question with a cheeky smirk and walks out, making sure to close the door behind him. Once they're at the cart and ready, Taako's digging in the back for something and mutters to himself, eliciting a few profanities along the way.

  
  
He does a loud, "aha!" before emerging from the opening near the cart's front seat, a wide smirk on the elf's face. "Hey Mango, how're your manboobs?" Without waiting for a reply he slips out and shifts over to the human, wrapping what is actually a scarf around his neck, an earthy red to compliment the mahogany shirt, and his skin. "Cover up the arsenal, big guy, I don't want you catching cold."

  
  
"My _what??"_ he says, but chuckles gratefully when he covers up his laceless shirtfront. "Thank you. I can always count on you to look out for my boobs."

  
  
The trip back is just as tedious as ever. The most interesting thing that happens is they pass another cart on the way back the goddamn way they came, but that only lasts for a couple minutes and then it's over. A lot of this travel could have been avoided if Lucretia ever had the forethought to tell Taako that she took his crystal, but oh well. At least it hasn't been all bad. The bandits kind of sucked, but they've enjoyed one another's company.

  
  
When they finally arrive at the exact location that Lucas and Taako had triangulated, and Magnus stops the cart, hitching Radcliffe up. He hops down off the cart and gives Taako a hand to step down. "Alright. Fire up the old locate object and let's see if you guys did the math right," he teases, but honestly, if it isn't here, they're plum out of leads.

  
  
"If I fucked it up I'll reassign myself the old title of 'Idiot Wizard' again." The elf chuckles as he's helped down, grateful for the little gestures Magnus does for him. It makes his chest feel fuzzy. With a deep breath, he takes out his focus and channels his magic into it, the incantations low and soft, as the air starts to shift around him.

  
  
For a moment after casting Locate Object, Taako feels a slight tug before it's suddenly gone. He takes a few steps forward to help it a little, but no such luck. "Aw shit. It's not anywhere near here. Next thousand feet?"

  
  
They travel through carefully, the elf keeping up the spell for ten minutes with no luck. They try for another part of the triangulation with the same results. No dice. When a third time the spell fails again Taako grunts in frustration and rubs both hands down his face with a deep frown. "You know what I'm getting a little tired of this goose chase."

  
  
With each subsequent failure, Magnus gets more and more upset on Taako's behalf. He can't imagine how helpless the poor elf is feeling right now. He pauses in their tracks and puts his hand on Taako's shoulder. "Hey. You wanna talk about how you're feeling?" he offers gently. "You don't have to, but. I got ears, and they work pretty good."

  
  
"What, better than mine?" Taako jokes as he tugs on one of the human's ears lightly, taking a moment to inhale deeply, finding his center. He pauses for a moment and thinks it over, and waves a hand in the air. "Just sick of being mislead is all, you know? I mean here we are, looking for a fucking rock that isn't even here, in the murder woods, and I can't even do my job right. Just bull," he summarizes, tipping his hat back from where he had gotten it to keep his head warm. Magnus was.... being so ooey gooey, it made him smile. But always one to battle emotions he doesn't want to deal with, Taako doesn't want Magnus to have to be subjected to his own emotions about all this. The last time he had let it out was when they had contacted Lucretia. And that had harmed Magnus.

  
  
"Noooot sure what to do next, if I'm being honest."

  
  
"I know what you mean," Magnus sighs, looking around with his hands on his hips like he' expecting to just see the thing lying around somewhere in the open. "I hate the idea of giving up, but... I mean, the thing got blown out of the sky. Seems like a pretty severe dead end. We don't even know if the thing made it _down_ here. This is where it would have ended up, but maybe it just got. Fucking shattered in the explosion, we don't know. There's very little we can do at this point, Taako, I'm... I'm so sorry. You did so good though, Taako, you're so good." he cups his face in both hands, tipping his head up so he can look him in the eye, and he brushes his bangs back. "Okay? I'm so proud of you for doing this. You tried, you really tried, and that means something. This wasn't your fault."

  
  
Taako is shaken by both the praise and the idea the soul crystal might be shattered, and he doesn't know if it's just the building frustration of not being able to keep his promise to the souls they had tried to help or the fact that the thought of Magnus, ever patient and ever loving Magnus,  had wasted so much time on him to help with finding an object that's just not there.

  
  
He closes his eyes and bite his lip, not wanting Magnus to see him react to the words and takes a shuddering, deep breath, trying to keep his center, trying to keep collected. "Thanks.... Maggie. I-- okay, so... I-I did try. This is-- I mean I don't want to g-ive up just yet," he mumbles, voice cracking slightly. "But I don't want to tote you around while-- while I flail and shit. That's not cool."

  
  
"Hey, I like being toted," Magnus says, rubbing a thumb over Taako's cheek. "Tote me some more, I'm enjoying it. You coming to get me has been the best thing to happen to me in the last six months. Wherever you're going, I want to come with."

  
  
Taako doesn't have a chance to react to that, though, because they both hear a commotion in the distance. Magnus looks up, only to see a band of at least six to ten goblins running at them, fully armored and armed to the teeth. Cursing, Magnus swings his chance lance down off his back, ready to fight. There's just the two of them against like ten goblins, but hey, they fought and beat a universe-swallowing demon of nihilism, so it's really all about perspective. Taako pulls back and takes out his krebstar, trying to figure out of there are more than the amount here, even looking behind them just to make sure it's not an ambush. He claps his hands together to make a barrier of sound wash other and blow them off their feet, some a little dazed from the noise.

  
  
After that he moves backwards to get away but some of the goblins get up almost immediately, one shooting a crossbow at the elf. An arrow lands straight into Taako's left arm and he cries out and stops, pulling Magnus along so they didn't get separated. "Fuck! That smarts," he curses. Guess there's no running away just yet. Blood seeps from the wound as Taako grits his teeth and tries to think of what spell to cast that could get them a chance of winning.

  
  
Just as they're getting ready to beat a hasty retreat, one of the goblins, the most armed and armored one at the front, speaks up in goblinish, a language that Magnus can't understand.

  
  
"Wait a minute- wait- holy shit- guys- I think that's Magnus and Taako."

  
  
"The ones from the story?"

  
  
"Not just that- the ones from before- they killed Yeemick!"

  
  
Magnus backs up, trying to put himself between Taako and the goblins, looking around frantically with his weapon raised, trying to keep his eye on every single one of them at the same time. "Taako, what are they saying?" he asks, swinging his lance at a goblin who gets a little too close.

  
  
"The thugs recognize us. From uh-- from the Gauntlet thing. Yeemick I guess is his name," Taako translates, gripping his arm. He pokes his head out from behind Magnus and switches languages to talk with them. "Uh-- yes, that's us. Don't kill us, our day is already shit so-- if you can just let us be that would be great. Unless you magically know about a glowing rock that might have landed around here."

  
  
The wizard tries a smile, though pained, and places his left hand on Magnus' arm gently. "Are you going to keep attacking us?"

  
  
"Are you kidding?" the lead goblin says. Magnus still looks very anxious, even as the goblin orders his buddies to put their weapons away. "You freed us from Yeemick. That guy was the pits. I mean- Klaarg also sucked pretty bad, but Yeemick wouldn't have been any better, we only wanted to support him taking charge cause we figured it'd be easier to gang up on and overpower another goblin than it would a bugbear. You took care of both for us."

  
  
"What are they saying?" Magnus hisses, as if he has to keep prompting Taako to translate. He lowers his weapon when they do, but he doesn't put it away. He doesn't trust anybody who comes running at him and his loved ones fully armed with intent to kill.

  
  
Before Taako has a chance to answer Magnus, the same goblin says, "What was that about a glowing rock? We found one of those a while back."

  
  
"Oh-- tight," he replies in Common. Turning to Mag he translates hurriedly for him, "They're good, we uh-- sacked their dumb boss. So we're cool." Switching back to speaking with the Goblin, still keeping that hand on Magnus to ease the tension in the human, Taako's tone turns interested, curious. "Interesting. Can we see it? It's uh, pretty important for us to get it back, if you don't mind." Taako turns to Magnus again, knowing this must be frustrating to deal with. "They might have the crystal. I'm trying to see if they'll take us to it. You okay with it?"

  
  
"Uh- yeah, I guess so," Magnus says. "You sure they actually have it and theyre not just saying that to lure us somewhere?"

  
  
"We don't... actually still have it," the lead goblin says. "It was about this big, and kind of... turquoise lavender, it was pretty and it glowed and sometimes it sang a little bit. We sold it for a lot of gold to buy all this armor and these very good weapons," he says, brandishing his sword in a way that makes Magnus's muscles tense up. "But we could tell you who we sold it to."

  
  
Taako facepalms and mutters in his hand, then throws it up in the air in an 'of course!' motion. He takes a deep breath and looks to the Goblin again. "Yeah sure, who'd you sell it to?" In a softer growl that only Magnus can hear, Taako mutters in Common, "I swear this thing has the opposite of a Thrall. They sold it too."

 

"Of course they did," Magnus sighs.

 

Taako puts on an easy smile, ears drawn back, and nods. Switching languages was confusing. "Just uh, tell us, and we'll be on our way. Nice armor."

  
  
The goblin looks like he's considering answering Taako's question, but then he motions for the other goblins to move in closer. They whisper to one another in a huddle, occasionally glancing back at Taako and Magnus, and then finally split apart, and the leader asks, "How much is the information worth to you?"

  
  
"Well I mean worth has many meanings. If it was dependent on a lot of lives one might say it can't be priced for the information given to its protector. Plus you already very cool swords, you're not going to lose anything by telling us, homie," he explains. Switching for Magnus, he mutters to him. "I think they're going to name a price. He asked how much the info is worth to us." One ear twitches back nervously, and he eyes the goblins that look back with a curious glance, another frowning almost at them. The elf has had enough with bartering and playing fetch just to get to a dead end. He steps in front of Magnus with folded arms, ignoring the wound in his arm. "Are you going to demand payment for the information?"  
  
  
"Of _course_ they are," Magnus sighs, even more heavily.

  
  
"I think it's only fair," the goblin says. "You want something from us, and we want something from you. We can make a fair trade."

  
  
"You could always tell him that we could pay him by not breaking all of their legs," Magnus mutters.

  
  
"We were displaced from our last nest," the goblin continues. "In a cave, not far from here, by a bunch of slavers. Our only breeding female, Seema, didn't make it out with us, we're pretty sure she was taken by them, but we don't know if she's still alive. If you go get her back, or at least find out if she's even alive, or if she's been sold, then we'll tell you who we sold the crystal to."

  
  
"They ran from slavers, but the chica was left behind. As long as they know what happened to her. Or, you know, if we can get her, we'll find out answers," he translates, gesticulating lightly. Taako clears his throat and looks the leader in the eye, looking him over for a moment before replying. "How 'bout you tell us who it is, we go find your girl, then you tell us where. Capiche?" He looks over them calmly, trying hard to keep the pain from his face, the wound throbbing painfully now. His whole sleeve is red, but it's out of Magnus' view to see it.

  
  
"Mm, nah, I think we'll wait to find out what happened to Seema," the goblin says.

  
  
"Slavers?" Magnus says, sounding immediately angry. "Well- fuck, we've gotta go get her. We can't just leave her with slavers if they know where she is."

  
  
"Oh, shit, okay then, bubbeleh." Taako shrugs and leans down to get to the goblin's level and extends a hand out for a deal. He masks his uncertainty with how genuine the situation is. He has a bad feeling, but when doesn't he ever? The next line he speaks to the Goblin. "Alright. Mags is on board, so fuck it. We'll get your girl back. Tell us where your old nest is and we'll do it. Don't skimp out on us, okay?" the wizard puts on his best encouraging face, making sure that he doesn't seem patronizing to the goblin. As much as today has infuriated Taako to no end, he's on a good streak and not willing to break it just yet.

  
  
The goblin grips Taako's hand for a solid shake. "We'll be in this area of the woods," he says, passing off a small handheld horn to Taako. "When you've got her or information about her, just come back here and blow this, and we'll find you. Oh- my name's Morrick, by the way, so you can tell her I sent you."

  
  
After a quick exchange and marking the location on Taako's map of the felicity wilds, he and Magnus are off again, back to the cart and trundling along. Magnus is shaking his head in disbelief as he looks over the map.

  
  
"Man. Lucky fucking break, huh?" he looks over at Taako. "Think Istus had anything to do with this one?"

  
  
"If she is she's probably having a fucking blast right now. Yeah, it's pretty damn lucky." The woods thicken the further the go in, the fed up look on the elf's face speaking volumes of how he feels about the possibility. "I'm not going to diss a Goddess but maybe if she is behind it we could catch a break..." He sighs and pulls the rim of his hat down to curl against the light locks, raspberrying at the air in general.

  
  
The terrain gets bumpier and less grassy, the dirt more compact as they get closer to the marker on the map. "Oh, by the way, the girl's name is Seema. The thug that was talking is called. Mavick? Ma-- Mo-- Morrick. That's what it is. Morrick. I just-- let's hope this doesn't go bad, okay? It feels off."

  
  
"I mean, it's slavers. There's nothing good about slavers, period," Magnus says. "We're not just gonna let these guys off, we're _definitely_ going to kill them, whether they have the girl or no-OH holy shit Taako your arm!" he cries, noticing the bolt and the blood for the first time.

  
  
"Hm? Oh-- Oh yeah, that happened. Well, uh, it's been a while since we killed anyone, so sure let's go for it," he muses, trying to brush off Magnus' alarm and looks around for a cave. On closer inspection, past the oddly aloof exterior he's taking on lately, his hand shakes, and sweat beads at his temples. He looks tired, a little drained. Taako's lost some blood. "Do you think-- uh, should eat first before barging in or after? I mean our appetites will probably be ruined either way, so--" He's trying hard to casually hide his arm to try to keep Magnus from actually seeing how bad it is.

 

"Hey, _shut up_ and let me see your arm," Magnus says, pulling on Radcliffe's reins to stop the horse in the middle of the road, and he turns to the elf. "Gimme your arm, let me do something about it, fuck, Taako, you can't just brute force an arrow in the arm, dude."

 

"Hey-- hey, it's fucking fine, okay? I'm not _dying_ ," he exclaims, moving away slightly. He's not putting a hand up to stop Magnus though. The bolt is embedded pretty well in his arm, at the meat of it next to his shoulder socket, the barbed end of it sticking out from the front. He covers it up with his right hand, making it gush with thick blood. "It's-- it's fine, okay? I can handle it. It's nothing Taako can't deal with, I'm competent," he justifies, sounding weak in his defense. Taako looks away and down, ears drooping.

  
  
"Competent doesn't mean walking around with a fucking arrow sticking out of your body," Magnus says, rifling through his bag until he pulls out a simple but well-stocked first aid kit. "When's the last time you even got an arrow removed? Have you ever? This is gonna suck." he pulls out a pair of terrifying looking scissor-like contraption, and a roll of bandages. "I'm not a healer, but I've got a little experience with this."

  
  
"I've had shit stuck in me before, Mags. It's been-- what.... hundred ten years since I had an arrow stuck last? It sucked, yeah, but I dealt with it. Lup got mad at me too-- I think," he bites his lip, relenting for once and sighing. He turns his body so that Magnus had access to the shoulder, looking away as if ashamed of needing to be taken care of, which is often.

  
  
Normally he'd be okay, maybe even relishing in it, but he feels.... inadequate. His stubbornness might be strong but to neglect Magnus the drive to help him made him feel sick. This is his best friend, the one who was there thick and thin throughout the cycles, and their journeys out for the Bureau. He gulps thickly. "Sorry."

  
  
"I'm not mad at you," Magnus says as he takes the huge scissors and snips off the feathered end of the bolt, sticking out of the back of his shoulder. "I just want to take care of you. I let you do my hand, okay? Let me do this." He carefully snips off the pointed end sticking out of the front, too, so only the wooden shaft is left in his shoulder. Magnus hisses in sympathy at how angry Taako's flesh looks around the shaft. "This is gonna suck, buddy. At least it was a through-and-through. You wanna hold my hand or something?"

  
  
"Mmm..." he replies, holding up his bloodied hand and wipes it on his shirt before offering it, trying to still the shaking with some success. "It's going to be hard co-ordinating an outfit around this for a while," he tries to joke, teeth gritting in preparation.

  
  
Taako grips onto Magnus as the shaft of the bolt is carefully pulled through, the chilliness of the end making the elf jolt and stiffen up, a large contrast to the throbbing heat his shoulder is experiencing. "If I don't make it, you've got dibs on my recipes. You'll have to fight Lup for them. It's the only way." He chuckles at that, knowing it's not life threatening but trying to make Magnus smile at least a little.

  
  
He does smile. He packs loose cotton around the wound and very tightly winds the bandages around Taako's arm and shoulder, maybe a little too tight for it to be completely comfortable, but it'll definitely stop the bleeding. "Man, if it wasn't slavers, I'd just turn us around now and go beat the information out of those guys. You're- you're not really in any shape to go swinging a wand around and fighting a bunch of guys, are you gonna be okay?"

  
  
"Yeah, for sure. I went through wonderland barely conscious, I can take on some entitled fuckheads with a dinged up arm. You're talking to Taako, hello, and I can-- well most times, I can kick ass while unconscious, pretty much. Anyway, you've done your good deed of the day, and because of you I'm right as rain. Give me some water though," he rambles. The elf keeps the shoulder as still as possible, shifting the shawl back into his normal cape and drapes it so that it covers his left arm, freeing his right. Stylish and covers up the blood stains.

 

Magnus did a good job. The slavers thing really got to him. Always willing to help others. He smiles and before thinking twice about it kisses Magnus on the cheek as thanks, starting to head upwards once more after getting his hands on some water. "Be on the lookout, homie, we're pretty close."

  
  
Finding the cave isn't difficult, the smug slavers hadn't even hidden the entrance. A few goblin heads on spikes litter the front of the cave which heralds a bad feeling as Magnus parks the cart near enough that they could make a quick getaway, but not so obvious that the slavers could easily see it. With both of them armed, Magnus with his axe and lance and Taako with his backup backup wand, they creep into the cavern.

  
  
It definitely looks like goblin architecture- that is to say- crude. A few terrifyingly rickety-looking suspension bridges are their only means to get across some gaps, and if Magnus is able to just leap over a gap, he does. He's not going to fuck around with falling to his death for a bunch of random goblins who attacked him and his Taako. His _friend_. Where did _that_ thought come from?

  
  
He doesn't have long to dwell on it, because shortly they're coming upon a fork in the cave, one side of which is well lit, the other marginally less so. He looks back at Taako. "Well. Shit, which way?" he wonders in a whisper.

  
  
There's a moment of thought from the elf, peering down both ways swiftly as if he's strung high about them getting ambushed, wand held in his good hand. After a moment of serious consideration, he moves back close to Magnus and folds back his ears. "Left."

  
  
Taako is oddly quiet once they entered the cave, looking back constantly and staying close to the fighter with his bad shoulder facing him. The elf cautiously makes his way down the left side of the split and perks long ears up, trying to get a read on what's down ahead as much as possible. He might need to put on his Band of Projected Thought to keep his and Magnus' position more of a secret, in case any smugglers were around.

  
  
As they wind down the left, more lit side of the cave. The walls are lined with burning animal fat torches that give the tunnel a pleasant smell, but it does make Magnus hungry, and he realizes they haven't actually really had a full meal yet today, they just sort of snacked on the road. He probably shouldn't be thinking about dinner right now, especially as they creep up on voices. It sounds like there's at least five or six people in a cavern ahead of them, and when they get closer, they can see shadows projected up on the wall by what must be a campfire.

  
  
Magnus, getting the same thought as Taako, taps the side of his head with one hand and points at Taako's bag. The elf immediately obliges, and once the band is on, Magnus speaks into his mind,   
  
  


_"Okay, you're much stealthier than me. I don't think you'll need to use blink or anything, you can probably just peek around the corner. Tell me what you see."_

 

Taako nods and moves silently to the edge of the corner, peeking in to the room and casts Detect Magic to see if anything is in the room, whether it be traps or items the men have on their person. There's one magic user among them, but each slaver has a minor enchantment of some weapon or other.

  
  
 _They're well prepared,_ Taako muses. It projects to Magnus unconsciously, and Taako moves to sneak just a little closer, chancing to overhear their conversation and trying hard not to get caught.

  
  
They aren't particularly talking about anything interesting. Just passing stories and talking about a 'score' they made recently by selling a mother and child pair of kobolds to a rich high elf. Disgusting, but not what they're here for. Creeping closer allows him to get a better look around the area, at the empty cages along one wall, with hay scattered in the bottoms, one of which is darkened by old, brown blood. There's still some vestiges of goblin culture around, some religious symbols still hung on the walls that the slavers never bothered to take down, and a few goats roped off in one corner eating from a bale of musty old hay that must have belonged to the goblins, given the ritual paint on their coats.

  
  
The slavers all appear to be in their forties or so, which is good news for the two strapping young adventurers, and their caster seems to be even older than that, with a beard that's going white in the center. Over the fire it looks like they're roasting one of those goats whole on a spit being turned by- Taako realizes- a young orc girl, wearing nothing but a long shirt that does not fit her, and cuffs on both her arms and legs. She's blindfolded, and occasionally one of the slavers will tug on her chains just to watch her stumble. She looks like she can't be older than fourteen or fifteen, and she's got such a layer of grime that it looks like she's been there for some time. But it isn't the goblin they're looking for.

  
  
There's a cold, dense anger that flares for a moment, but the elf squashes that down, to focus on what they need to do. So far, it's just some older men doing fuck all. Taako thinks of using mage hand to mess with them, but he doesn't want to alert the group to their presence, even if it's a small one. The magic caster would be able to tell it's magic for sure, but he's not as versed in it as Taako is.

  
  
Maybe a mage hand with his Arcane Trickster Glove would work. He's rarely used it. And the urge to mess with them is too strong to pass up, especially seeing that poor girl. He tries to find something hanging to drop on one of their heads, and sees one of the ornaments are close enough to mess with them. With a quiet incantation he produces the spell, disguised now thanks to slipping on the magical artifact, and hovers it over the man with the greying beard, dropping it on his head before sliding back smoothly. He has a smirk to his face as he goes to pull Magnus away from that particular room. In case they move.  
  
  
  


"What the fuck!" one of the slavers yells, as Taako and Magnus creep back down the passageway.   
  
  
  
_"Nothing of interest, just some dudes. Let's go the other way,"_ Taako thinks, purple eyes glowing in the dim light.

  
  
  
 _"We're going to kill them, Taako, I hope you realize that,"_ Magnus projects into his head. _"We can go back after we check the other way, but we're going to kill them. Or I am, at least. You can go wait in the cart, if you need to. I'd understand if your arm hurts too much."_

  
  
 _"It's fine, homie, I'm fine. I'll help you. There's a magic user in there though so I though fucking with him would be funny. We'll clear this place out after we get the girl,"_ he promises, placing a hand gently on his arm once they've stopped. He check on his arm to make sure nothing shifted, though the bandages are so tight that it's hard to tell if the throbbing is from the constriction or the jostling as they sped.

  
  
"To the right, then?" he mutters, looking down the other way with a mischievous smirk at the commotion. He takes Magnus' arm and slips to the right, loosely tying his braid around his neck in preparation. "Keep on the look out, bab-- bubbeleh." What the fuck. Taako ignores the near slip up and moves on ahead to cast for traps and people.

  
  
As the follow the passage to the right, Taako is able to sense that there's a few figures up ahead, and once again Magnus hangs back so the stealthy elf can move ahead and check the area. There are a few more cages in this second chamber, and a smaller fire with only two men around it, sitting there sleepily, evidently keeping watch but doing a poor job at it. There are eight cages in the room, but only three of them have anything in them- one is what looks like a mother bugbear with two frightened cubs huddled in her lap, one holds only a glass jar placed in the center of the cage with a pixie inside, and one, sure enough, has a young female goblin curled up in the corner, hugging her knees.

  
  
 _"I think I see her,"_ Taako projects, perking up at the promising scene. Little guards, their goal in sight... it's satisfying how smooth things are going, but Taako is still cautious. He debates whether or not to go in and simply cast sleep on the two men and get everyone out. Magnus would want everyone to be safe, afterall. And something about the bugbears gets to Taako. Perhaps because of Klaarg and his family from both Wave Echo Cave and the Miller Lab.  It's a good thing the elf is going first, otherwise Magnus would have rushed in. Without looking back Taako relays the information.

  
  
_"Two guards, they suck at their job so if we can make them go beddy bye it'll be easy peasy. What do you think?"_

  
  
_"Go for it. We don't want to alert the others,"_ Magnus projects back. _"If you cast sleep, I can go in and slit their throats or something, nice and easy."_

  
  
And so Taako does. It's not their most brave battle yet, but they really don't want to risk the chance to free these poor creatures. The goblin, pixie and bugbears all perk up in surprise when they see the pair of guards topple over, and then all begin to stir and react when Taako and Magnus creep inside. Magnus immediately puts a finger to his lips, and out of fear, they quiet.

  
  
"We're here to rescue you," Magnus says quietly, and then gestures for Taako to check in with the goblin while he goes to dispatch of the two guards silently, and find the keys to unlock their cages.

  
  
Taako leaves the two unconscious men on the ground to Magnus, and moves to the goblin girl's cage, using a mage hand to work at the pixie's lock while he does so physically on the poor girl inside. In Goblin, the elf soothes. "My name is Taako, and Morrick sent me. Is your name Se-- uh, Seema?" He opens both cages simultaneously and enters it to lead her out, using his right hand mostly to do so. The mage hand, after opening the two cages, opens up the jar for the pixies messily, making a bit of noise as he tries to concentrate on multiple things and people at once, ears drawn to detect anyone coming in to the room with his heart hammering.

  
  
Okay, think like Magnus. Be approachable. What would he do? He'd make sure she's warm, people like feeling safe. So Taako takes off his cape and folds it around her, something to cover her for now-- he'll worry about the grime later, and wraps an arm around her. "Magnus, the cages are open."

  
  
The girl leans into Taako, she's probably barely sixteen years old, and finds his presence immediately comforting. She's rail thin and now wearing only his cape on her otherwise naked body. The pixie immediately zips out of the jar and flies away in a trail of glitter, but the bugbear isn't as quick. She trundles out of the cage with her two cubs and looks between Taako and Magnus, as the fighter gives up on the search for keys.

  
  
"You aren't allies with them, are you?" she snarls a question, pointing an imposing claw at the dead slavers.

  
  
"I mean... we _did_ just kill them," Magnus says, somewhat uncertainly. He really, really doesn't want to fight a mother.

  
  
"Good," she growls. "I'm going to kill them."

  
  
"Let's- maybe get your kids out first," Magnus suggests, holding both hands up in a placating gesture. "Taako, do you think you can get the cubs and the girl outside? Hide them in the bushes somewhere and then meet me and mama bear here while we fuck shit up in the other room?"

  
  
"Sure, no problem-- uh, we can keep them at the cart, maybe. You okay with that?" Taako refers to the mother, only moving when she's alright with it and moves the three young ones from the room as hurriedly as he can. The girl looks so frail, and it makes him think back to the caravan days, to nights of growling stomachs and keeping one eye open for danger, both with memories of being alone and Lup in his head. Either way, this girl has been through so much, and he holds onto her more securely.

  
  
It's terrifying, trying to look out for three vulnerable lives, when your own one isn't too far off. It's not an unfamiliar feeling however, and he hopes Magnus is safe. There was no noise when the elf reached the split of the cave, ears alert for any suspicious noises. He's able to make it out of the cave without any fuss. The two bugbear cubs seem to be barely the equivalent of toddlers, both of them clinging to the left side of Taako's skirt with both hands, while the freezing, nude goblin girl clings to Taako's right side. He manages to get them all out safely to the cart, where they climb inside, and the goblin immediately begins to rifle through their things, looking for anything else she can wear. They thought the cave was cold, but it's absolutely freezing out here.

  
  
"Hold on, pumpkin I've got just the thing," Taako murmurs softly, pulling out a pair of thick pants and a long sleeve muslin shirt. He takes out some spare quilts and casts prestidigitation on them so it's as if they just came out of the fantasy dryer. He wraps the two bugbear cubs securely with one, and offers the other for Seema, making sure she's dressed beforehand. "I know you're probably rattled but I hope you know we're here on the behalf of some acquantances. They asked my buddy and I to get you." he says again, brushing her stringy hair out of her face and wrapping his extra scarf around her neck, making sure to get enough clothing on her to feel secure, and maybe stay in the cart long enough for him and Magnus to finish up and help them all.

  
  
"I'm going back in to help take care of the fools in there, so sit tight and watch over these two, okay? Stay put." With that, he pulls out from the wagon to rush back in, ignoring the pain in his shoulder.

  
  
Inside, on the left split, the men start to investigate after hearing some echoes from the other side, one of the younger men heading in to the right tunnel as he yammers, alerting Magnus that people are coming. Magnus offers the mama bear railsplitter, but she thanks him for the offer while cracking her knuckles. She's got this.

  
  
By the time Taako gets there, she's already ripped one of the six men clean in half, and Magnus is making short work of another one, swinging his axe in an arc across his chest. One of the other four men has the orc girl with him, yanking her along by a chain, and when he spots Taako, he throws the girl in his direction with a command to attack. Scrambling, blindfolded, she finds a rock on the ground and lifts it in shaking, skinny arms, and prepares to try and attack Taako with it, while the end of her chain, still attached to her wrist cuffs, is held by the slaver behind her.

  
  
Taako stops dead in his tracks at the sight of the other slave girl, scared and dirty, trying to follow out the order out of fear. Magic missile the slaver? With the big rock in her hands, if he tugs on it while falling it'll hit her instead of Taako. She's small and weak, so the hit won't be too bad. He'll attack after she does.

  
  
"Hey, dumpling-- you, ah, you don't have to do this. I'm here to help you ge-- get away from this," he tries, raising his left arm up in preparation, but then thinks better of it, worried about doubling up the injury on his arm, and turns slightly to the side to try and put some distance between them, only for the rock to come down and connect with the side of his head. With a hiss of pain and a small cry he moves forward, the anger seething in Taako in seeing so many young children in danger like this, something he's been through for so long, and casts magic missile at the man, knocking him off his feet with the chain now lost in the man's grasp.

 

The slaver in front of Taako goes down like a sack of bricks. At this point, Taako's magic missile is so powerful that one single bolt was enough to put a hole clean through the man's chest, especially considering the fact that he's not wearing any armor. He does, however, drop his axe on the way down, and the electricity on it discharges, zapping through a puddle on the ground and electrocuting Taako, aggrivating the already minor concussion he's got from the blindfolded orc girl's weak attack. The girl staggers away and finds a wall, and just sits down to cower against it, crying and covering her ears.

  
  
Across the way, the spellcaster casts Confusion on Magnus, making the room spin and the figures waver, it's hard suddenly to figure out who to hit and not hit. Suddenly there's a piercing pain through the fighter's shoulder, an arrow sticking through much like the one in Taako's earlier. Magnus swings blindly, just trying to keep anything away from him while he's too confused to keep his eyes focused. The pain makes him grunt, makes his muscles go tight, and he very nearly swings his axe into the bugbear, who growls "Watch it!"

  
  
"Taako! The caster!" Magnus shouts as the bugbear tears into another slaver- four down, two to go. Just the magic user now and one other- unfortunately, now the caster is bolstering the final slaver with every buff and healing spell and ward he's got, and the man is dual wielding two longswords, one with an ice enchantment, and the other literally on fire.

 

Taako blinks away the pain, shaking from the buzz of the sharp bone deep static everywhere. He huffs as his vision starts to blanket over, the feeling too close to forgetting Everything, something he never wants to feel again, and looks to the two. Gulping, Taako takes his focus and casts a spell on the slaver, but not the caster. He actually misses the caster and instead uses Banishment on the man with the two swords. Poof.

  
  
Well.... The caster stops in shock and confusion as to where his companion went, and before the man can do anything else Taako uses Fireball at him, not waiting long enough to give him a chance to get to Magnus. The arrow is making the skin red and agitated, the blood flow steady and thick. His stomach drops from that as he tries to approach. "Mags are you okay?"

  
  
"I... I think so," the fighter staggers, shaking and clutching his head, trying to scatter the last bit of confusion from his mind. His vision doubles, and spins, and then focuses on Taako as the sound of the screaming, dying caster fades into silence behind him. "That was rough. Never really realized how much better off we were with Merle until now. Who's gonna not heal us now?" he chuckles weakly, looking past Taako as the mama bugbear walks past them to the weeping orc girl to try and offer her some comfort. She manages to pull the blindfold off the orc, and they're able to see that she'd been purposefully blinded by the slavers, her eyelids gashed and sewn shut.

  
  
"We gotta. Help all these folks," Magnus says. "Where can we take them? I don't... I don't think our cart is big enough for three bugbears, plus an orc plus a goblin."

  
  
"I mean-- well I still have my pocket spa-- if you have your workshop with you we can have room. Just for a little bit," he offers, ears drooping down. He stares at the orc girl and grimaces, a tightness in his chest growing. "So-- Are-- We need to get them all to a cleric in town or something. This is fucking ridiculous." The wizard looks back to Magnus and hisses at the arrow, and with a tense but mildly humor-laced tone, he adds a small, "Look, we match now," referring to the shoulder. His vision is still a little spotty from the electrocution, fingers buzzing unpleasantly.

  
  
He leads Magnus out, making sure that the mother bugbear and the girl go out first to make sure no one gets left behind, the elf vigilantly looking around as if to challenge anyone else to come by and mess with them. The next to try to will be turned inside out, the pain, guilt, and worry all forming into Anger. A cold, calculating feeling.

  
  
The goblin and orc girl seem to latch on pretty hard to one another once they're in the cart, and the mother bugbear elects to walk beside the slow moving cart, while her cubs sit in the back. She thanks them profusely for coming to their aid, and they decide not to tell her that they were there just for the goblin, technically. Magnus had snapped off most of the arrow, leaving just the tip inside his shoulder, which will need to be properly removed by surgery, to keep from ripping the tissue around it on the way out, so it's just stuck in there for the time being.

  
  
Morrick is beyond surprised when he responds to Magnus blowing to horn to find not only Seema, but also an orc, and three bugbears. Seema runs forward into his open arms and hugs him with one arm, the other hand still holding onto the orc girl's. "Damn. I guess they were pretty good at their jobs, huh?" Morrick asks Taako. "Does this mean our nest is clear, now? It's safe to go back?"

  
  
"Yeah I don't see why it wouldn't be. If you mean clear of bodies then no. That's not the case. But, uh.... Everyone's safe, for the most part. Give all of them a good kick in the dick for Taako, okay?" he nods to the goblin with a small smirk, tired. He watches the two girls and feels a little bit better about all this. Hopefully they'll be able to stay together, watch each other's backs.

  
  
The little cubs latch on to Magnus' pants and it takes a moment to get them to release, and go to their mother. The elf knows this must hurt Magnus seeing them in pain and having suffered. It must be a load off to simply know that they're out of cages and off chains. The chains that bound the orc girl were immediately discarded by Taako, while Magnus cared for the welts and chafing.

  
  
To Taako's surprise (and then Magnus's, once he translates) the goblins offer for the bugbears and orc to stay with them. The orc doesn't seem to have any agency anymore, it's possible she was a slave for too long, but she seems perfectly content to stay with the goblins, especially with the girl who has yet to let go of her hand, even if it means going back to that cave. The mama bugbear on the other hand thanks them for the offer and then picks up a cub in either arm, and begins to make her way down the road in the opposite direction.

  
  
"Okay, I promised I'd tell you," Morrick tells Taako. "We sold the crystal to a traveling merchant. A half dragonborn fella named...  I wanna say Oswald."

  
  
"The dragonborn? Oswin," corrects Seema, petting the orc girl's hair, who is cowering against her. "He was headed towards Neverwinter."

  
Taako and Magnus both reel.

  
"You're _kidding_. Fucking hell. What does the thug look like exactly? Oswin or whatever?" the elf asks, crossing his arms. Once they get the information about the merchant, and how to find him, on the back of the paper where Taako copied Lucas' map, they part ways. The elf says a quiet good bye to the two girls, flashing a smile to them before the two are out on the road again.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys its been a while!!! sorry!!!! dont worry tho theres a LOTTA chapters about to be posted

Taako sits with Magnus up at the front, cape and hat back on and having wrapped them in a blanket in a way that both of their injured shoulders wouldn't be rubbed against, Magnus' especially. "So are you copying me now or is this a fashion statement? Should I copyright?"

 

Magnus chuckles wearily. He's exhausted, they both are. Night is going to fall soon, but after their last experience in the middle of the night, Magnus isn't feeling especially willing to stop and make camp. He'd rather drive through the night, especially because he'd really prefer not to try and get comfortable enough to sleep with his shoulder as badly fucked as it is.

 

"Yeah, it's all the rage now, I call it shoulder piercings. All the kids are gonna have 'em by this time next month." he says, giving Taako a tired smile. "You were good back there, by the way. How're you doing?"

 

"A little... zappy, still. But I'm alive. Hit points are half way but I'm more worried about that shoulder," Taako deflects, eyeing the fighter over with a bite of his lip. If he had been quicker, or quieter with his mage hand, Magnus wouldn't have gotten hit like that. But then Taako stops in realization. Why is he obsessing over Magnus' health so much lately? That's not like him.

 

Taako shakes his head and gingerly brushes his bangs, a few fluffy locks covering one eye as he plays with the ends of his hair. "Feel okay? I mean, obviously your shoulder-- I mean. We did good. I figure it was hard for you to see all of them in that state. I saw the orc girl earlier. In the other room. I didn't tell you because you'd rush in. Didn't want you getting banged up and shit, you know? I would have to save your ass even more than I did."

 

Magnus can't help but laugh. "I mean... you're right. Probably would've gotten my shit fucked if I rushed in there . I probably would have been upset with you if something happened to her, but it all worked out okay. And hey, you did save my ass. My ass always knows it can count on you," he teases, gently bumping Taako's uninjured shoulder with his own.

 

"I didn't know your ass was sentient. Hey, hey-- snrk-- do me a favor and quit talking out your ass," he jokes, leaning into Magnus with his frame wracking with a fit of giggles. He sighs once he's calmed and looks ahead on the road best he can. He hopes the confusion spell hasn't lasted on Magnus, because there's no way Taako's going to be able to drive with the minor concussion he's got going on.

 

"Next town? Clericking your ass. Maybe it'll stop being able to think." He stays leaning against the human, slumping.

 

The night is rough, for both of them. At some point, Magnus encourages Taako to actually go lay down in the back because he keeps dozing and nearly slipping off of Magnus' shoulder. He won't take argument from the elf, and threatens to tickle him again and give them both pain because of it. He maintains his post through the night, and they finally approach a town just as dawn is breaking, grey and misty. They bypass the inn in favor of finding some kind of healer's building, which is luckily pretty easy to locate.

 

The cleric is a tall, bald man with dark skin and a wide smile, who seems way too energetic for being awake this early in the morning, declares he's 'too blessed to be stressed' when Magnus asks him how he has so much energy at the crack of dawn, and promptly casts sleep on the fighter without another word. He looks up at Taako over Magnus' unconscious body, who has yet to leave the room,  as he prepares a few instruments and pulls on a pair of intimidating, shiny red gloves.

 

"You wanna watch or something?"

 

Taako debates for a good, solid second whether or not he should go, turns, then turns right back. No way is he going to leave Magnus with some eccentric stranger, and not because he's genuinely worried.

 

"I'll stay but this won't be fun for me. Don't go frankensteining my homie got it?" he warns, eyes wary if not a little glassy. He folds his arms and even crosses his legs, the posture closed off and on guard, the hand tucking inwards touching the pocket where his wand is in case of anything.

 

"Sure thing, sure thing, no problem at all!" the cleric says with a wide grin, and then covers the lower half of his face with a cloth.

 

The surgery is pretty simple, Magnus probably would have argued that he didn't need to be knocked out for it at all, had the doctor not cast sleep so quickly. He tries making smalltalk with Taako a few times as he carefully widens the incision on either side of the arrowhead, and handily excises the arrow by the shaft without doing any extra damage to the fighter's shoulder. He slices off the ragged tissue on both sides to get cleanly bleeding flesh, and then stitches it back up. Then with a wave of his hand, the stitches, which Taako can now tell are made of some kind of magical energy, dissolve into Magnus' skin, and leave nothing behind but a fresh scar. Then, with a snap of his finger, the fighter wakes up.

 

"Holy shit," Magnus inspects the cut, rubbing his thumb over the scar. "It doesn't even hurt. That's dope, dude."

 

"Your turn," the cleric turns his wide, wide smile to Taako. "I see those glassy eyes of yours, you've got one mother of a concussion, don'tcha? Come on over here and let ol' Doctor Sweetie atcha, I promise I won't knock you out like I did your friend."

 

"Noooo no. Taako's good over here," he replies immediately. Even if he was very professional and, surprisingly, careful with Magnus, it doesn't mean he needs that treatment. It's a concussion, it'll.... go away. Right? As long as Magnus is okay, he doesn't care. No fussing over Taako.

 

"I appreciate what you did for my friend, but I'm not going for it. I'm fine. Now how much do we pay you for?" he adds on, pulling his cape tighter around his neck with a frown. Mags, how you feeling?"

 

"Uh, wait, you have a concussion?" he looks over at Taako as he stands up. "What the fuck, man, I let you sleep.  I'm actually feeling like shit, now that you mention it, and the only cure is letting this nice doc look at your fucking head."

 

"Nice improv, Mags, now really let's go." Taako stands and goes to hand Sweetie some gold, moving steadily so his bangs stay over one eye. The glamour is on, and even Magnus can tell it is. Taako looks miffed. This isn't a big deal, and them insisting to help is grating on Taako's nerves.

 

"Look-- thank you for caring, bubuleh, but. I'm. Fine. It's just a bump from the kid earlier nothing bad. No one, I repeat, no one, is looking in my head. It's air tight a no touch zone, thank you."

 

"Uh, I don't mean to pry," the doctor says. "But I actually wouldn't be goin' inside your head. It'd be a strictly non-invasive procedure. Just a matter of dealing with some blood clots, all of that can be done from the outside."

 

"You hear that?" Magnus says. "No surgery required. Just let him look at your head, Taako. He'll explain what he's doing as he goes, won't you doc?"

 

"On my honor," the cleric beams.

 

"I'm not letting you walk out of this room with a concussion," Magnus says. "Especially since you hid it from me all night. So quit complaining, sit your tush down on this bed, and let him look at your stupid head."

 

"Fine! I'll sit down! But don't expect me to be all 'Please sir, be gentle with me' or some shit like that. This is stupid. Ridiculous, it's nothing." And with that Taako plops himself before the cleric, regretting sitting down so abruptly, both his head and shoulder screaming in pain suddenly, and he blinks it away.

 

"Better not touch anything he shouldn't.... don't touch my stupid head...." he grumbles softly, testily tapping a foot in the air with arms crossed.

 

The cleric looks uneasily at Magnus, who nods. "His shoulder's also hurt, if you could do something about that."

 

"Alright alright alright," the cleric says, and his hands begin to glow as he holds them out in front of Taako's head, slowly rotating them around his skull without actually touching his hair. "Yeah, it looks like you've got a moderate concussion. Nothing too severe, but you're lucky you an elf, that's all I'm saying, if you were human, goin' to sleep like you did would have been a bad bad move. You lemme heal you up?"

 

"Taako," Magnus gives him a warning tone. "Don't make me turn this adventure around. I'll take you home and put you to bed if you insist on hoarding your concussion."

 

"Sure-- whatever. I'm-- look I'm not some kind of dragon, i don't hoard injuries, my fella. That's stupid. Just didn't want you worr--rryyyying--" Taako shivers when the healing starts taking effect in his head, making his eyes flutter for a moment from it and keeps them shut. It's not umpleasant, but he feels embarrassed for reacting like that.

 

"I'm not going home yet Mags... Whoa okay," he trails off, expression relaxing tremendously the better he feels. But his eyes are still closed. To Magnus, it almost looks like Taako was just reacting to a feather tickling the back of the elf's neck, then slumps immediately. "Are you, uh,  healing?"

 

"Sure am," the cleric says. "Routine procedure, my friend. The kids in this town are crazy, I handle usually about two or three concussions a week, most of them worse than this one. But you an elf, so you got a pretty thin skull. I'd avoid head injuries, if I was you."

 

"Elves have thin skulls?" Magnus comments curiously watching with his arms crossed.

 

"Like birds," the cleric says, and then takes his hands away from the elf's head. "Shoulder, please. Pop your sleeve off for me."

 

The elf snorts at all of this, and as he listens, Taako hugs himself tightly. If he's seen as weak after this he's going to go nuts. It's stupid. Like a bird? What is he, a pet? So with a dry tone to the cleric, because he's full of nerves and doesn't trust the man healing him, he mutters, "Well take me out on a date first if you're asking for a strip tease, homie."

 

His head feels insurmountably better from before, Taako admits. And he peels off the cape to reveal the blood stained sleeve and bandage under it, untying the front part of his shirt to slip the shoulder off for the cleric.

 

The cleric shrugs. "Hey, it's your call, but fair warning, I could fuse your shirt right to your skin if I try to heal through it, and that ain't fun for anyone." luckily, Taako does slip his sleeve off, though. He compliments Magnus' wrap job as he unwinds the fabric into a roll and hands it back to Magnus once Taako's bruised shoulder is visible. "Damn, this looks like no fun, no fun, no fun," the cleric murmurs to himself. "You wanna be out for this one, or should I just numb your arm?"

 

"Numbing was an option?" Magnus asks as he pockets the bloody bandages, to sterilize later.

 

Taako snorts, actually snorts, at that one, and tries not to laugh. That's amazing. Poor Magnus. "As much as I like the idea of not feeling I'll get the same treatment as my main man here. Seems only fair," he answers nonchalantly, the lack of pressure making his shoulder hurt worse than before now that blood flow is back. He wouldn't be okay with numbing, sure. Being unconscious around someone he doesn't know is mortifying.

 

"Hey, uh, while I'm out, can you do the thing relatives do in the hospital dramas where they hold the veggie joe's hand? Yeah, do me a solid on that, it can be in our biographies." Taako flashes a small smile at the fighter, reaching out with his right hand, the good one, to take.

 

Magnus does, immediately, and pulls up a chair to sit closer. He only barely listens as the cleric tries to explain to Magnus while he does surgery on Taako's shoulder to piece the tissue back together, that numbing wouldn't have been an option for Magnus because something about muscle density and blah blah blah, but Magnus' mind is elsewhere even though he nods along like he understands.

 

He's lost, just looking at Taako's face. He's pretty sure that in the last hundred-odd years, he's never seen Taako asleep  like this. One, because for the most part, Taako doesn't actually sleep. He doesn't need to, he can just meditate. He's able to sleep, but he only does it when other people are sleeping around him as well. He's caught Taako asleep before when Magnus wakes up first, but Taako always wakes up pretty immediately right after. He's never just... watched him sleep like this, never in a hundred and eleven years. He's beautiful.

 

It hits him all at once, right in the chest, that seeing Taako like this, vulnerable on an operating table, his hair spread out under him like a halo, is probably the most upsetting sight Magnus has ever seen, perhaps second only to when he uncovered Julia's body from the wreckage in Raven's Roost. But that only makes him think about Taako dying, and Taako has died many, many times by now, but the thought of him dying for real makes Magnus' heart clench up into his throat in the same grief-stricken way it did when he found out about Julia. That's... got to mean something. The cleric looks very surprised when he looks up from his work to see tears brimming in Magnus' eyes.

 

A few minutes more on the surgery, careful to minimize the damage like with Magnus' own shoulder, the wound is healed up finally. When Sweetie snaps his fingers, Taako lurches up in alarm, taking a deep gasp and looking around frantically like he's in danger, before looking to the hand that he's holding. The sight of Magnus there, present, still connected, puts him at ease fairly quickly and takes a deep breath to curb the anxiety of not being Consciously aware of things.

 

"You look wrecked, homie. Was it that gross? Don't tell me I said something," he rambles, still holding Magnus' hand as he looks over where the puncture used to be and rolls it around. "Hachi machi....."

 

"Yeah, you did," Magnus says, snifling slightly, but smiling and laughing. "You actually said, 'Magnus is the coolest person alive, including me.' It's the nicest thing you've ever said about  me, brought me right to tears."

 

"I meant to say that I'd only say it in your dreams. Then I'm laughing and sipping a martini in a lush silk robe, all decked out. You should have been there, Mags," he retorts, not missing a beat before squeezing the other's hand. "Alright, now we're going. I've gotta say, not bad service. A little pushy but it gets the job done. How much do we owe you?" He gets up, throws on his cape over the loosened shirt, and hops off the table, eager to get going.

 

Once they bid farewell, and head out the door, Taako lets out a dramatic breath like he's been holding it the entire time and drapes against Magnus. "Jeezy creezy, that was probably more terrifying than one of Merle's healings!"

 

"Yeah, at least with Merle, you know for sure what's gonna happen- nothing," Magnus says as he leads Taako away from the cleric. They're still holding hands. It's like New Elfington again. Magnus finds he really likes it. They only make it a few dozen feet, though, before the weight of a) not sleeping all night and b) the heavy emotionl weight he just dropped on himself both knock him clean off his feet, and he staggers a little. "Fuck- shit, I forgot how tired I am. Damn. You- damn. I feel like I'm gonna pass out. Do you think we should get a room for a few hours or- do you think you can drive the cart solo while I crash in the back?"

 

"Uhhhh, well I can do either. Think you can hold off long enough for a bed or are you going to fall face first right now?" Taako asks quickly, putting a hand on Magnus' chest in alarm. Right, humans need a lot of rest compared to elves. The wizard looks around to find an inn nearby and debates whether or not using levitate would help. He can tote the human around and get a bed that way. Taako was not looking forward to the road just yet.

 

"Hang in there, Maggie. Oh-- here we go," he chirps, trying to lead Magnus to what looks to be a decent place to stay. "I'll-- uh, drop you in the bed and get Radcliffe after. Just keep on your feet okay?"

 

"Uhh- yeah." Magnus is pretty alarmed at how fast the tiredness hit him, like a fucking train. He has to grip Taako's shoulder just to keep his feet under him as they quickly pay for a room. One bed again, no biggie. Magnus falls directly onto his face on the bed, doesn't even bother pulling the blankets down first, and lets the elf taco the quilts over him. He's asleep within seconds, face down in the pillows.

 

Now that Magnus isn't in the danger of falling on his face, or on Taako, he goes back out to situate Radcliffe properly, so the cart is secured for the night. While he's out, the elf gets a few things for the road. One being a couple of jackets for them, considering how cold it is. He comes back not long after leaving with the things left at the foot of the bed to be dealt with later when the human is awake.

 

Taako shifts so he's leaning up against the wall, on the bed, and meditates, figuring Magnus just needs to sleep it off until the morning. He needs the blankets more. The day really took it out of the fighter. First searching around the woods, then attacking a cave and driving all night to get to where they needed. Humans tire so easily, and despite how strong Magnus is he's got a lot of weaknesses still. After a while, when he's had enough time to think, and Magnus has shifted enough in the night, he yanks the blanket from under, and throws it over the both of them to lay under, warm from being layed on by the world's biggest heater.

 

Magnus remains out of commission for a solid 24 hours. Come the next morning, Magnus wakes like the living dead, groaning and mumbling, his hair sticking up every which direction, eyes hooded and drooling a little bit. He squints around the room in confusion, and then down at Taako. The room looks just about as light as it did when he fell asleep... but he's pretty sure he slept for more than like an hour. He reaches down to lightly shake Taako.

 

"Hey. Hey. What day is it?"

 

Taako wakes easily and looks up at him, blinking away sleep like he's been trying to delve into it for a while. With a deadpan like Lucretia's, he takes a deep breath and mutters, "It's been three months, I tried to wake you with true love's kiss but it turns out you need to cuddle a dude for like, ever."

 

He stretches languidly, wearing nothing on top and sinks into the pillows with a sigh, arms raised up by each side of his head and smiles. "You were fucking out, bubuleh."

 

There's a split second of panic where Magnus actually believes him, but then he just laughs, and shoves Taako face-first into a pillow. "Shut up. I needed to sleep, I guess. Ready to hit the road? It's gonna be a couple days before we make it to Neverwinter. How's your head doing, by the way? Better?"

 

He finds himself looking down at Taako... differently. There's something warm in his chest, something. Solid. He's going to have to really put some thought into this shit. He would like to visit Julia's grave, if he could, but that's a little bit of a detour for where they're going. A several day long detour, both ways, in fact. He needs some kind of guidance, some kind of sign... maybe he should try talking to Kravitz. It's hard for him to actually conceptualize the road between right now, and being... with Taako, but he can envision it, some nebulous amount of time from now, happy together. For some reason he keeps imagining them eating breakfast together when he visualizes what it would be like to be with Taako.

 

He realizes he zoned out for Taako's answer and blinks back into reality, shaking his head. "I- wait-  sorry, what did you say? Sleep ears. They're not... working yet."

 

"Pshh. Okay. I said it feels fine, a little off from the healing but I feel great. I talked with peeps at home to give an update. I didn't get into-- to technicalities on some parts-- uh, you know how she is," he replies, more of a summary this time. The thoughtful look on Magnus' face gives him away. Not as to what he was thinking about but it's something that's nagging. Maybe it's the kiss, or Taako's allusion, or the hand holding.

 

It dawns on him that in all of those scenarios he's initiated. He's initiated romantically with Magnus. And that's a scary thought. He takes a deep breath and rolls to be on his stomach and closer to Magnus. "I don't care when we go, but you need to clean up and eat, homie."

 

Magnus just laughs. "Yeah, you're probably right about that," he says, and his tummy does a funny little clench when he says, "Breakfast?"

 

It may be ridiculous, but Magnus's favorite part about this whole adventure so far with Taako is the traveling in between. The hours spent just sitting on a cart, wrapped in a blanket beside Taako, talking and laughing and teasing and singing and reminiscing. They spend a good portion of the time just trying to recall old memories, trying to remember what every single cycle was in order while they were running from the hunger, trying to recall what they did during all those years. When one of them has a gap in their memories, the other will fill it in, and between the two of them, they're able to weave a flawless tapestry of what those hundred years were like- at least for the two of them.

 

At some point, the subject of lovers taken during those 100 years came up, and perhaps surprisingly, Taako learns that the number for Magnus was less than five. And that included Taako. Magnus explains that he's just, never been particularly sex-motivated, that he always had a hard time feeling close enough to anyone they met in that century, knowing that best-case scenario he would leave them behind, and worst case, they would be absorbed into the hunger, probably killed, and he'd never see them again. Only during cycles when they got the light pretty early on did he even consider it, and even then it happened incredibly rarely- only four other times in the course of 100 years, two men, and two women. He still remembers their names, and their faces. He won't tell Taako.


	7. Chapter 7

When they arrive at Neverwinter, they realize just how hilariously difficult it'll be to find one lowly merchant in this sea of individuals, if he's even still there. It's Magnus who suggests that they go to lord Artemis Sterling for help, considering they're all sort of tight buddies now. The king does joyfully accept them into his office when he hears they're asking after him, and Magnus gives him a hug. Taako just gets a handshake.

 

"What can I do for you boys this evening?" Artemis asks, sitting on the edge of his desk like a Cool Guy instead of in the high-backed chair behind it.

 

"Well, to be honest with you we're looking for a particular crystal that got out of our grasp a while ago. We have a lead on it saying a merchant here has it. Half dragonborn fella name Oswald? Os-- uh-- uh-- uh, Oswin. I think. Willing to help us, my man?" Taako explains, crossing an ankle over the other as he stands, arms crossed lightly. The urge to hold on to Magnus is great, but before a king and someone they don't know well enough, that's not the time for it here. He glances tot he human and folds his ears back, would Artemis be able to help? It's hard to say, but their journey has mostly been lucky breaks and peril. 

 

"Oswin... Oswin..." Lord Sterling hums, rubbing his chin in thought. "The name doesn't sound familiar to me, but I'll put out some feelers. I don't expect we'd hear back from anyone right away, but I can certainly comb the city. Why, is he in trouble? Did he steal it from you?"

 

"No, no," Magnus says quickly, he doesn't want to risk putting the wrong vibe out there and running the guy out of town. "He's not in any trouble, he bought the crystal thing fair and square, we just want to find him so we can buy it back from him, that's all."

 

"Alright, I'll see what I can do," Lord Sterling says. "If you'd like to join me for lunch tomorrow I'll tell you what I've learned, but I wouldn't expect any word before then. I welcome you to stay in my estate, in the guest suite, there's more than enough room for the both of you to have your own rooms. I invite you to enjoy the city, for tonight."

 

"Thanks for the help, Artemis, you're a real pal," Magnus says brightly, and flashes Taako a grin. This feels closer and more sure than they've gotten so far.

 

The security in knowing that Sterling is willing to help puts Taako at ease, a small smile on his face. "That's how we do. Thanks a lot for this, kemo sabe, means a lot. So, lunch tomorrow? I'm in," he lilts, switching weight to his other food in a languid motion. God, the look on Magnus' face is so sweet. It causes the elf's chest to blossom with affection, which he stamps down just enough for it not to affect his posture and face too much.

 

After their thanks and goodbye's are out of the way, they head out to spend time doing anything. Their wounds healed and a good lead ahead of them it's looking more promising. The air between the two is light and warm, and their things are in the suite now with nothing stopping them from having a good time.

 

"What do you want to do now, my man? Have a drink?"

 

"A drink sounds good," Magnus says as they inspect the street. Neverwinter is beautiful this time of year, and luckily, it's aptly named- even in the winter time, it's fairly warm here. The nearby coast keeps the warm tropical winds blowing through year round. The summers in Neverwinter are atrocious, but at least the winters are mild. The snow that glitters down from the clouds overhead melts as soon as it touches the ground or their skin, giving them a fresh prickly feeling in the tepid air.

 

He offers his arm out for the elf with a smile, unsure of but excited for where the night will take them.

 

Without a thought the wizard takes it and leans in lightly against the other, savoring the different sort of warmth on his skin, one that only Magnus can make, that sinks into his bones and makes his limbs soft with happiness.

 

"Alright alright, now we're talking! I'd say get schwasted but I'd rather you keep your shirt on in public," he teases as they walk through the streets. The temperature is pleasant here but it worries Taako. Everywhere else is still in the chilly blanket of winter, and getting colder at that, even after Candlenights. This is not the night for concerns, however, and they find a homey tavern not too far away. The bartender nods to them, a large half-orc name Sven that makes a show of making cocktails for the customers. Taako orders a shot and a martini as they seat themselves.

 

"You know what, I think this is the best part so far, it's really nice. Things... things are working out," Taako murmurs, choosing to sit at a booth that looks out into the street.

 

"Yeah, I feel like we're really closing in on it this time," Magnus says. "And hey, if not, we just keep following the trail. I'm enjoying myself, this trip has been... well, I'll be honest, it's given me. Purpose, I guess. Before you showed up I was just sort of taking a spiritual leave, which was good, but it also sort of sucked. Really lonely. When we're done here, I'm not... sure what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna be lonely again. I mean I'll have my dogs, but... they're not really good at conversation." he stares down into his beer across from Taako. "It wouldn't be so bad if people lived in Raven's Roost anymore, but they all cleared out a long time ago."

 

"Well, why not try to rally up some folks and make it a town again? What's the saying about pinecones? After a fire there's always life that grows? Something..... something something." He waves his hand languidly side to side before downing the shot as quick as he can. It burns the back of his throat but settles nicely. Amethyst eyes are on Magnus, openly sincere.

 

"I mean. It'd be pretty cool, right? And you can help those in need of homes in exhange for workers. Get things kickstarted, you know?" he murmurs softly, thumb tracing his drink.

 

"I mean.. I wouldn't mind it. But I don't know if anybody would live in Raven's Roost after..." he pauses, shaking his head, and sighs. "After, what happened. I can't expect anybody to trust me, to trust the fact that I could protect them a second time if... that-- that guy comes back, I can't." he sighs heavily, rubbing a hand over his face, and then up through his hair. "I can't remember him. And I can remember the fact that I can't remember him, and it. It tears me up, sometimes, Taako." his voice goes soft and tired. "I couldn't protect them from him if he came back because I don't think I'd even be able to see him."

 

"That's where me and our good man Merle comes in, don't even trip, homie. I was thinking after this the two of us take on super hero identities, go all out on it to make it fun. We've got you, Maggie, you're not alone on this, you know that right?" he jokes, trying to lift up Magnus' spirits. Internally? Berrating. Shouldn't have brought it up. Idiot Wizard.

 

"Let's focus on the now-- for now, and-- and for sure get back to this once we've dealt with the crystal thing, okay? Just-- uh, enjoy yourself. Let go, my man."

 

Magnus smiles, and then he laughs, at the idea of Merle in tights. "Yeah, that sounds pretty good," he raises his glass to clink against Taako's.

 

With drinks keeping them warm from the inside, they embark back onto the streets. Off in the distance they hear the sound of loud, brassy music being played, and follow the sound out of curiosity, still arm in arm. They round a corner onto quite a sight- a parade marching through the streets. It's quite an affair, with stilt walkers and people playing instruments, lutes and horns and pipes abound. And then they remember- of course! They arrived in Neverwinter the day of the winter solstice! Normally it's a homey kind of holiday spent quietly with family, but in neverwinter, where it's never winter, the weather is always nice enough to put on a whole festival.

 

"Hell yes!" Magnus pumps a fist excitedly. "Score! Let's get a yule log!"

 

Magnus takes it readily, and they both dig into their treat as they watch the parade go by. Colorful strings of beads and little candies in wax paper are tossed out into the crowds, and children go weaving through the horses and sheep, painted in beautiful spirals for the holiday in the streets. The music is jovial and jazzy, and the spirit in the town as people run around in painted masks, giving out treats for free just to keep the spirit of sharing alive, is so bright and warm and beautiful.

 

"This'd be a good place to really settle down, don't you think?" Magnus sighs happily  as they finish their treat, and he leans back on his elbows to just admire the lightness. "Especially since story and song, this place... it's just really come alive here."

 

"Y-yeah..." Taako's face is warm at the thought, and looks over the crowd with ears low, relaxed. He has a ghost of a smile on his features when looking back at Magnus, the warm lights all around illuminating the elf and the absolutely tender and shy air around him. "It's real homey here, for sure...."

 

He stares at Magnus for a moment, the lull of the crowd seeming to soften and the cheers feel far away. It's just the two of them in the pleasant glow of the holiday high and he leans back as well, the fishtail braid pooling around Taako as he leans over to match Magnus. "You want to take a pause for another day?"

 

"Let's decide tomorrow," Magnus says as he gets up to his feet and offers a hand to Taako, pulling him up as well. "I wanna enjoy the festival for tonight."

 

Magnus is tireless, like a puppy, constantly pulling Taako along to experience something new. They get beautiful, fragrant flower garlands around their necks from a masked woman, and Magnus double Taako's over and settles it over his ears in a verdant flower crown with big white flowers and dark green leaves. They have swirls painted on their cheeks by a tabaxi who has been painted from head to toe, and Taako points out every new food stall and they sample something different- some spicy snacks, some sweet, some chilled, some hot, and playfully rate them in order from best to worst.

 

They come upon a gigantic, towering evergreen tree in the center of town that people are decorating, with tables upon tables of garlands and wreaths and glass ornaments set out, and Magnus rushes in like a child, his eyes reflecting all the candles and fairylight strung up on the tree. There are a few twinkling lights way up overhead where a few people must have shown off to stick one up higher than the rest, but the tallest ornament is only about twenty feet up the fifty foot monster of a tree. Magnus spots the tree's star sitting on the table, and turns to Taako with a grin, handing it out to him.

 

Magnus reaches up to catch Taako around the waist, spinning him around once when the momentum threatens to take the elf out of his hand, and when he lowers him to his feet, he doesn't let go immediately. He looks overjoyed, and applause breaks out modestly around them for Taako's theatrics. Magnus' cheeks glow red from the slight cold and the drink and the joy.

 

"Come on," he takes Taako's hand. "One more thing I want to do."

 

He pulls Taako along by the hand in the direction of more music, and sure enough, he finds what he was looking for. Dozens of people are all dancing in lines to the music, simple line dances that swing around in time to the music. Magnus gleefully pulls Taako along into the lines, holding his hands in both of his.

 

Taako doesn't know what to do, but he follows best he can with both hands tightly hanging on to Magnus' much larger, warmer hands. His braid bounces as they dance and sways at each turn, laughing in a fit of nervousness and joy as they dance in the lines, looking up at Magnus once more with an expression that says 'thank you'.

 

The energy is so much and so fast, it's hard for the elf to keep up, honestly. But for Magnus, he'll stake it out as long as possible, hopping a little more to keep up, shifting closer so their hands aren't at risk of separating, trying to stay connected. This is the first time in a long time that Taako can safely say a public outing felt fun. There's so much to do, almost suffocating. The fighter makes all of the tightness in Taako's throat disappear.

 

It's easy enough to follow the steps of the line dances, and if they get separated or if they have to trade partners, they always find eachother again in the crowd. Several dances in a row leave them breathless and exhilarated, and finally the music slows down into a more somber, melodic yule song, and the young, detatched dancers all fan out, leaving only couples in the cleared out square. Young newlyweds, lovebirds who can't be older than fourteen, old couples who look like they've been together for decades, parents with their children hugging their knees on either side, all litter the dance floor.

 

Magnus' heart is still pounding as he takes a second to observe the shift in mood, and then he looks back at Taako. He's not an idiot, he knows what it implies, and he knows the weight it carries when he holds his hand out to the elf, offering him one more dance. There are equal measures guilt and hope in the gesture, his expression conflicted, but... willing. Willing to try. He hasn't given himself much time alone with his thoughts just to think about this, but isn't that just like him? Magnus rushes in.

 

And it comes crashing down in a very upsetting way. Some little festering ball of uncertainty that dropped into Magnus' stomach the moment he put out his hand makes itself known loudly and immediately when he sees Taako leaning up for another kiss, like the one they shared in the dark that night, but infinitely more meaningful, and his stomach clenches up as guilt washes over him.

 

He didn't exactly mean to lean back, but the way Taako's ears droop instantly is heartbreaking nevertheless. "I- Taako, I'm sorry, I d- shit, I'm sorry."

 

"No-- it-- it's fine, I--" he croaks hurriedly, pulling back with a bite of the lip. Taako's face is careful to not reveal just how hurt he is, but his ears keep jolting back, and with the threat of his eyes burning he draws himself up close, backing from Magnus like he had hurt the human again, and bolts.

 

How stupid could he have been to think Magnus was completely alright with this? He had so much on his shoulders, and the elf was just barging in and-- he shakes his head, moving to go past a corner as Magnus shouts after him in surprise. Taako doesn't necessarily want to be seen with tears in his eyes. Not again, like with Magnus' burned hand. The flight response kicked in too suddenly for Taako to have apologized, maybe joked that he was just going to bite his nose, but conflict of any kind terrifies the elf. Hopefully nothing comes of this and it just goes away. That all these mashed emotions die off.

 

"Taako, wait! Wait- please, I-!" but Taako had already pulled away and was running off, leaving Magnus standing there with both his hands suspended where they'd been on the elf's waist a moment ago.

 

He's just stunned in place for a moment, a mess of conflicting emotions, only to be pulled out of it by one of the old couples dancing slowly nearby. The old woman gives him a tired smile and says, "If you love her, go after her."

 

Magnus doesn't really have the time to get into the logistics of elf gender with some old lady whose eyesight probably isn't very good anyway- and besides, that's not really the part that sticks out in his mind. Her words ignite some fire in him that another bigger, blacker part of him had been trying to put out, and he takes off running just as Taako's braid disappears around the corner.

 

"Taako, please wait!" he shouts after him as he follows him to a much less densely populated area of the city. It's colder here, with less people around, and Taako is only wearing a thin long sleeved shirt, it had been warm enough earlier that neither of them grabbed a coat. "Taako, please!" he calls out, he lost the elf, and can only hope he won't hide from him. "I just- let me explain!"

 

With the human's words echoing behind him Taako scrambles to an alley way and leans against a mossy brick wall, heart hammering with panic and guilt as he fights to catch his breath, taking the flowers out of his hair viciously, panting to stave off the growing urge to cry. This isn't a pity party. He stepped over Magnus' boundaries, then ran away like a coward. Taako thunks his head against the hard wall behind him and covers his face, silently hoping both for Magnus to not find him and for him to get to him, like some pathetic yearning girl in a romance novel. He slumps down into a small ball, not caring if the long braid is dirtied now. Magnus' cries grow closer, the heavy steps easy to track and he just. Resigns himself to whatever happens.

 

Taako isn't so far into the alley that Magnus misses him as he walks by. The moonlight catches his hair like a beacon and he freezes as he takes in the sight of Taako slumped in the alleyway. It breaks his heart. He pivots and heads into the alley to crouch across from Taako.

 

"Taako, I'm- I'm sorry. I didn't mean to- I didn't want to hurt you," he says. "It's not your fault, please don't beat yourself up about this, it's just- I'm just- it's my fault, please, I'm sorry."

 

"Magnus, you don't have to trip over yourself. I'm fine. I stepped out of bounds and freaked, I overreacted. You did nothing wrong," he replies, voice soft and steady, eyes cast down. He looks fairly okay, besides ears drawing back so much that they're pressed against his hair.

 

He rubs over his own face, holding it up over his eyes like a visor so Magnus can't see them properly and he grunts. The stressed, torn look on Magnus' face isn't right. He shouldn't be consoling Taako right now like this, apologizing for reacting, for being uncertain and uncomfortable.

 

"You said no, so.... really I'm just being dramatic. Like usual, you know? Sorry for trying to.... you know."

 

"It's- it's just- it's not you," Magnus says, reaching out for Taako and then hesitating and pulling back. "Please, you just- I need you to understand you didn't do anything wrong. It's not- it's not because of you, it's just-" he's almost afraid to bring it up, and then he realizes all at once exactly why.

 

He's never talked to Taako about Julia before. Julia, relatively speaking, was pretty recent. In the couple of years since he and Taako reunited after Lucretia's meddling in their affairs, he never actually talked to him about her- or Merle for that matter. In fact, the only person he ever had a lengthy conversation about losing her with was Carey. He knows Taako and Merle know about Julia, but he never really told them the full story.

 

"I just..." he sighs, dropping down to sit with his back against the opposite wall of the small alleyway. "I don't... it's not easy, for me. I don't know- I mean, I don't mean to say that I think... love is easy for you, or for anyone, I'm not trying to say that it's... supposed to be easy, but. We've lived so, so long, and I... I've only ever been in love... twice. Three... three times, I guess, sort of, but- that's splitting hairs. Losing Julia..." he runs his hands through his hair. "It was worse than dying, Taako. And I've died... in some pretty horrible ways over the decades, but this- it was the worst... the worst thing I've ever been through. And that hasn't been... easy to heal from."

 

"Yeah, I know a thing or two about that feeling with someone once loved," he mutters softly, almost too quiet for Magnus to pick up. He barely moves at all, listening, watching from his perephiral the hand movements and the tenseness in Magnus' body. It hurts to see, to hear him like this. Taako knows about Julia, but he guesses it ran very deeply. It made his stomach drop even more, in sympathy.

 

"I can't imagine.... w-- uh, what that was like, exactly. I mean. Having your heart ripped out from you is one thing, but.... You've been grieving all this time, huh?" he starts quietly, daring to look at Magnus now. He has his legs drawn up now, and folds one arm over the other over the bent knees.

 

"Something that leaves a scar for a long time. I get that, really I do. If... I mean if I got signals? Mixed? I'm sorry....? I thought-- with allt he signs that-- maybe shit was okay." He takes a deep breath.

 

"I- I thought it was too, Taako," Magnus sighs tiredly. "I wanted it to be, anyway, I wanted... I guess. I don't really know exactly what I wanted, I never really let myself think about it. I... it feels. Like a betrayal, Taako. It feels like. Like spitting on her grave. I don't know if you know what I mean, but it feels like... like if I ever opened myelf up, if I ever let... let some of that pain go. That it would be an insult to her memory. It feels like if I ever gave some of that love that I used to hold- that I still hold for her, to someone- to anyone else... that it would be. Taking some of that love away from her, I guess. And that if I let myself... be with someone else, it would be. Like forgetting her."

 

He looks up at Taako with grief in his eyes. "And we both know what that's like."

 

Taako closes his eyes and that, breath shuddering just thinking about that, and nods. There's a long pause between them before Taako speaks, trying to figure out a way to be tactful enough. To be reasonable but considerate. To consider Magnus.

 

"I get it. You're not-- I mean you're not stating you're forgetting. I mean she wouldn't want you-- you fucked up about it and suffering like this. I mean. Yeah, I'm selfish, I want to have you. I want that. But. I'm not saying you should accept it. You can let go and still love her. You're not loving her any less, Mags. I-- I'm saying this very poorly I know, and it sounds cold and shit and I'm working on that. But. I think you should forgive yourself and let go, man. Not even touching what the fuck we are, okay, just-- solid advice. Guilt eating away at you for years sucks. Stop sucking."

 

Magnus huffs a humorless laugh. "I wish it was that easy," he says, looking down at his hands. "When I think about her, sometimes, all I can see in my head is the way she looked when I pulled her out of the wreckage. When- when that guy, whoever he was, when he collapsed the quarter, everyone was so scared that they left immediately, they didn't even. They didn't even stop to dig out the people who died, they didn't stop to check for survivors. When people talk about the massacre at Raven's Roost, they say that seventy six people died. They only know that number," his voice cracks. "Because I dug them out."

 

He scrubs his hands over his face, exhaling shakily. "It's such. A small number, compared to all the people we had to leave behind when we were running from the hunger, and I know that. Objectively, numerically I know that, but... I loved them, Taako. Not just Julia, but her father, my teacher, Steven- the people in that city, my neighbors- Julia and I were trying to have a baby, that's why I was making a rocking chair, the one that I brought here, to this very city, and wasn't there to protect the people I loved when they needed me. I can't. I can't ever, ever forgive myself for that, Taako. I can't. I deserve... I deserve to suffer for that."

 

"You've suffered enough, honestly. You thin-- you think they all want you to suffer?? Magnus I don't know what to tell you buddy but this martyrism is pissing me off. Not that-- not that I don't understand, I do-- very much so. If you can't forgive yourself then what's the fucking point in-- in this?" he waves a hand between them, trying to keep his voice steady, his face straight. The self sacrificing shtick aggravates Taako to no end. No one needs a bleeding hero, especially not if that hero is someone you love and would die for.

 

"You had loved ones and I get that-- it sucks, losing them, being lost, blaming yourself for the death of a town? Terrible, it fucks with you. But you learn from that shit and let it go. If you carry that everywhere you-- you'll end up like me, okay?? Hello, sad excuse of a sentient being here. Don't keep handing on to all this shit! You deserve to be loved and admired and-- and-- and to love!" he throws out his hands on either side, voice raising in disbelief, aggravated by Magnus' mindset.

 

The more Taako talks, the more Magnus' expression hardens. He doesn't look angry, though, his expression is somehow... worse. He shakes his head and pushes against the wall to start rising to his feet.

 

"Sometimes, Taako, the way you can just let go of things is an inspiration. But sometimes... it's just disappointing." he says, brushing the snow off his thighs that had accumulated while he sat there. "I would have thought. Out of everyone, you would have understood. But I guess not, huh? You lost Lup, and it's not. Exactly the same as losing a soulmate, but it's gotta be up there on the same level. I guess the difference is, you got her back."

 

He shakes his head again with a weary sigh, looking up towards the sky now. "You got. Everything back. You got your sister back, you got your family back, you got- you found out the one thing you had been holding onto some guilt for wasn't even your fault- and then you got pardoned for it anyway on top of that. You got your show back, your brand, and on top of all that you got Kravitz, who loves you. I lost my city, and my wife, and my friends, and. That never came back. And I'm not trying to be mean here, Taako, everything you have, you've earned, and I'm so, so proud of you. But if you're all about letting go of the pain and moving on, then it's time for you to fucking forgive Lucretia, because she's suffered too, and a lot of that is still because of you, Taako."

 

He sighs, and takes a step back. "I'm. I'm sorry. I need to. Think. About some stuff. I'm sorry."

 

"W-- wait no, I... Maggie no, that's not wh..." Taako tries to explain, to reach out to Magnus, and he stands up quickly, following after the human desperately, a few paces away with wide eyes and a pleading voice. "Please just-- you don't know-- look I-I'm sorry for what I said okay? You're right, you have ev-- every..." he trails, realizing that it's futile to try to explain himself, to make that right, and the sting of the words, about letting go, the guilt of having all that he wants and still wanting more. It hits somewhere deep, and he goes quiet. He just follows, wanting Magnus to be okay, to be safe. It's seflish, but Taako's an inherently selfish person.

 

It's ironic how he talks about letting go when he hasn't forgiven himself, or Lucretia. He wants to desperately, to have that connection again, but to be convinced of so long that he deserved to be alone, to be punished, it angers him that he understands where Magnus is coming from and can't do anything about it. He's right. And it hurts.

 

He stops following Magnus.

 

After standing alone in the darkness of the city as people settle for the night, it makes him think. And in this state, it can be dangerous. He usually makes mistakes. He can't.... just hold onto his rage towards Lucretia, someone he still holds dear-- the one that helped them through all of their adventure, even if at arm's length. There are hot tears in his eyes, and the guilt climbs up his throat, suffocating him until he starts to bawl.

 

He takes out his Stone of Far Speech and dials it to the frequency he needs, and doesn't bother to wait if she picks up or answers, the elf needs to speak Now. "I'm sorry for everything. For-- for yelling at you earlier, and-- ignoring you at candlenights when you tried to make am-- make ammends. I'm a fucking asshole. Just-- listen, and-- well it's about time that I fucking treat you like a person, Lucy-- I--"

 

He's cut off a moment later by a groggy, confused sounding, "Taako?" and when he pauses to inhale shakily, his nose all clogged up with snot, she continues, her voice thick and croaky. It's clear he woke her up, and it's not surprising, it's probably getting close to one in the morning, and here he is, standing in the middle of an empty, freezing street in nothing but a thin long sleeved shirt and a skirt with no tights, with snow drifting down onto his bare ears.

 

"Taako, I- what- are you crying? Taako- Taako, slow down, I can barely understand you." he can hear some shuffling as Lucretia sits up in bed and climbs out to fetch her stone from the bedside table, slipping a robe on over her shoulders. "Start again, I'm sorry- what's wrong? Are you okay, are you hurt?"

 

"N-no just-- I got-- I got into an arguement with-- With Mags and-- h-he s-said some shit that was true and-- 'Cretia I'm so sorry for being a dick and-- n-not giving you a chance all these months I-- I don't hate you," he stammers, voice trying to rise up but he quells it best he can, gulping past the black tar climbing his throat from his chest.

 

"You deserve to-- to be happy, and... how I've been acting isn't-- I mean--" he stops to sob into his shaking hand, huddling down on the ground to keep warm. Even his ears tremble. "I love you, Lucy-- just-- I-I want to forgive you and it's hard because I want to hold on-- and it's not f-fa-- It's-- Fuck!"

 

"Oh. Oh, Taako," she says softly, sitting back on the edge of her bed, cupping the stone in both hands. "Taako, I- I don't even know what to say. I love you too, Taako. I love you to much, and- you know, you know how sorry I am, for everything, but it'll never be enough. I know why you've been angry with me, and I don't blame you, I was never upset with you for not forgiving me, I haven't even forgiven myself, and I don't think I ever will. If you want to live the rest of your considerable life hating me, I- I wouldn't blame you. But it's- it's so good to hear your voice, Taako, I've missed you terribly."

 

"I've m-- It's good to hear you too. Just-- I wanted to apologize, y-you helped us even when I yelled. I yelled at you, after ignoring you for months and-- and that's got to be so painful to deal with-- I don't-- I'm trying to forgive, and-- Just bear with me, I'm not the best with letting go despite what everyone thinks-- Lucy, I hope you can forgive me soon." He's shaking like a leaf and in between words is sobbing, the tears quickly turning cold against his face and he stands up once he's collected himself.

 

It's, for once, relieving to hear her voice. For so long, there's been an anger inside of him, there still is, it might never go away, and they'll have to talk, but this is a start off the right direction. He stifles his crying and starts to move, the soft soft crunch of the thin snow the only sound besides the stone and himself around, and it sounds so.... lonely. "I've missed you, it-- it sucks, Lucy, everything-- I'm sorry for everything I've said, how I treated you. It's-- fuck, this is hard. And I fucked up with Mags too-- please help."

 

She says, without hesitation, "Tell me everything."

 

Across the city, Magnus walks with his hands in his pockets, thinking everything over. The flower garland was left on a statue somewhere, after he realized exactly what the garland was made from- Magnolias. Blooming out of season, probably magically, just for this event. The big white blossoms are perfect for yule, beautiful and overblown... and Julia's favorite flower. There was one planted in their backyard in Raven's Roost, and in the spring, she would wear a fresh flower in her hair every single day. The smell of them, he came to associate with her.

 

The city is winding down now, the celebration coming to a close. The only people still winding through the streets are the quiet, sleepless ones, shuffling around, picking up candies nobody else snagged, walking arm in arm with lovers, enjoying the stillness of a city going to rest.

 

He stops at a tea cart, and looks over the options, eager for something to warm him up. As his eyes scan the little hand-painted menu, he sees the option for cherry almond tea, and feels his throat clench up. Julia's favorite tea. Feels like he's running into a lot of Julia, tonight. He orders a cup, the last dregs in the bottom of the pot, and walks away, mostly just holding onto it. It was Julia who introduced him to tea, really. He'd always sort of liked it beforehand, but always felt like it was a 'girly' drink. It was Julia who whipped that attitude, and many other harmful ones, out of him. They would share morning tea on the back stoop, curled in a blanket, and watch the magnolia blossoms fall from the tree.

Just like the one that fell in front of his face. He looks up, to see that he's just absentmindedly walked into a grove of magnolia trees planted on either side of the road, blooming overhead in a brilliant white arch, sheltering him from the snow. The cobblestones beneath his feet are dry, and blanketed with white flower petals. Sighing wearily, he takes a seat on the ground with his back up against one of the trees.

 

"I don't know what to do, Jules," he whispers hoarsely, his fingers shaking around the teacup he's yet to sip from. Tears brim in his eyes and roll down into his sideburns as he looks up at the tree overhead. "I feel so lost, so- I'm so scared, Julia, I don't want to feel like this anymore. What do I do?"

 

He hangs his head, and weeps quietly. The few passersby don't pay him any notice, a jacketless man crying against a tree in the bitter cold, holding onto a cup of tea. He feels something soft brush his fingertips and he looks up to see a whole magnolia flower has dropped from the tree, and drifted down face-up to land in his cup, spinning gently and petting velvet over his dry, cold knuckles. He stares in awe for a few minutes, his breath coming out in choked, puffy clouds, and after a moment, he smiles.

 

"Okay, Jules. Okay."


	8. Chapter 8

The temperature drops significantly after a while, the elf shivering violently among the silent snow fall, arms around his shoulders as he wanders the street. He doesn't want to go back to the suite quite yet, in case Magnus is there, but he's going to freeze out here if he doesn't head back right now. With a soft grunt of resignation, he moves forward, navigating the roads to a main one to follow, ear flicking off some melted snow with a grimace. Even in Neverwinter it's still fucking cold.

 

After a few minutes, he finds the suite, and gets inside with limbs as heavy as lead, and eyes red from crying. He grips the stone lightly still in his palm even long after his conversation with Lucretia was over. He sets the stone on a table and, without much thought after kicking off his boots, climbs into bed, just wanting to fall asleep and not think for a while. He's quietly relieved he got here first, the pang of guilt still fresh. He'll either deal with it later, or never. Taako is exhausted.

 

Magnus makes it to the suite a little under an hour later, and at first he freezes when he sees the string of clothing left behind by Taako from the front hall into one of the three bedrooms. The door is still slightly ajar when he makes it there, and sees Taako collapsed in a heap in a mountain of quilts and down comforters. He takes a step back with the intention to give him peace, but the thought of going to sleep in a separate bed, not only after what just happened between them, but the last several nights that he has spent, sleeping better than he has in a very, very long time with the comforting warmth of another person by his side, makes him suddenly feel very cold.

 

"Taako," he whispers into the room. "Taako, are you awake?"

 

He gets no response from the elf. He sighs softly and rests his head against the door frame. It seems pointless to waste his words now, and he really doesn't want to wake Taako up right now, but he really doesn't want to go sleep alone. He doubts he even would be able to sleep alone at this point, the bed would feel too big and too cold. So he creeps quietly into the room, closing the door behind him, and with as much grace as he possesses (which isn't a lot) he lies down on the edge of the bed, giving Taako the majority of the room, and sleep hits him like a steam train within seconds.

 

Morning comes quick, and Taako wakes up all at once, laying in the bed as he blinks the sleep from his eyes. He was aware when the human came in, when he gingerly climbed on the bed, and debates whether or not he should see if Magnus is still there. A large part of him wishes it.

 

The covers are warm, not by Taako, not wholly, but Magnus as well. It felt..... odd, going to bed without him. It would have made him ache more if he wasn't so exhausted last night. But.... There they are. Taako, quietly, slowly, twists around to see for himself if Magnus is in the bed still or not, and more importantly if he's awake or still asleep.

 

Luckily for Taako, Magnus is still dead asleep. He must have shucked his shirt at some point in the night because of the fire-heated suite, and lies belly-down under the covers, his arms folded under a pillow that his face is smashed into. He's not the most dignified of sleepers, Taako has learned, but he is still in the bed, and that counts for something.

 

Almost immediately he is relieved, grateful that Magnus sleeps so long and so hard. It's endearing.  The elf covers up the human more with the blanket and simply.... looks at him for a moment, frowning gently as he thinks back on last night. There's a pit in Taako's stomach, and he tries to shake it off by getting up to get ready, wearing only underwear. His clothes were drenched by the time he had come back, the trail still leading out into the hallway.

 

Bundling up the discarded garments, he dries them out the rest of the way and sets them aside for later, digging into the bag to coordinate an outfit for the day. This time with leggings and an optional jacket. Maybe.... just pants. Yeah. Go with that. Something simple will do for now, there's no energy in the elf to really go all out. He even leaves the long locks of hair unbraided and pooling around him on the floor as he backs up the extra clothes he had set on the floor.

 

Magnus wakes up a little while later while Taako is repacking his bag and sits up with a loud, bearlike yawn, stretching out his tired muscles. He opens his mouth to say good morning to Taako, but suddenly and sheepishly feels like he isn't allowed to speak to Taako unless Taako speaks to him first. He swings his legs to the side to stand up off the bed and grabs his bunched up shirt from the floor, tugging it down over his head, wrinkled and disheveled.

 

He tries opening his mouth again, then closes it. He glances at the clock, and then back to Taako. He's still facing away from him, his back to Magnus. "Pretty... close to lunch," he finally says. "We should go see uh. Sterling, soon."

 

Taako's throat closes up immediately before he can speak, the spike of guilt even stronger now when Magnus of all people hesitates to speak with him. He nods numbly and inhales shakily, ears down low. He manages a small, quiet, "Yeah," before getting his hat. This is the tension Taako wasn't looking forward to, the suffocating uncertainty almost too much to bear.

 

They go to Sterling as soon as possible, the whole way quiet and... almost shy. Taako is uncharacteristically silent, hugging himself to help, and to Magnus he looks almost scared to open his own mouth, as if he'll say something that'll disappoint the fighter again. He has the glamour on already, even before Magnus woke up. The wizard changes posture as they come into view of Sterling, the elf looking mostly relaxed. Mostly.

 

"I've got good news, boys," the king greets them warmly, gesturing to a platter of fresh bagels and lox, which Magnus helps himself to hungrily. "I got a thread on your merchant friend Oswin. My spotters even thought ahead and invited him in for lunch at my estate, so he should be here within minutes. Please, relax."

 

Magnus has probably the equivalent of six or seven bagels by the time the merchant appears, and he's... not what Magnus expected.  He's clearly of dragonborn descent, but only partially- he has the tail and the horns that would make him look like a tiefling were it not for the scales scattered over his face and up his arms from a pair of distinctly clawed dragonborn hands. He's wearing a tiny pair of spectacles hanging off a shiny chain attached to matching golden loops on his horns, rather than over his pointed ears like a normal person. He looks like quite a character in layers of shimmery black leather and purple pattered cloth that compliment his pale blue scales.

 

"These are the men who asked for me?" he asks, his voice lisping and disaffected. "I've never seen them before in my life."

 

"Uh-- Hail and well met. I'm Taako, and his is Magnus. We wanted to-- to.... " Taako gulps thickly, thanking Istus that his voice doesn't crack, that he's able to pretent to look okay. "To ask about a particular item in your inventory you may have, still, in your possession. It's a bluish, purplish stone that glows and sings."

 

Taako hurries his words, trying to get them out so he's not talking anymore, hand waving about as he speaks and sits with legs crossed. He hasn't touched any of the food yet, but has a cup of tea to the side to sip on. Lavender. He steeples his fingers and leans forward after speaking.

 

The dragonborn just squints at them for a few moments, as if processing what Taako has said, and then his face relaxes in realization. "Oh, that old thing? No, I don't have it anymore. Can I go now?" he already seems to be looking for an exit, but the royal guards seem to make him itch.

 

"Well- wait- hold on a second," Magnus says, standing up. "Can you tell us where it is?"

 

"I could," Oswin says. "But am I going to? No! I'm not beholden to you. Excuse me, fellows," he waves his clawed hands at the guards.

 

"What if we make a deal? Would that interest you? Your info for a favor? There's got to be something you want, right?" Taako throws out, just wanting to get to it already, and keeps his gaze on Oswin-- a striking fellow for sure, even more than the elf had envisioned. He even liked the curtness.

 

"It'd be worth it, I promise, darling," he adds coaxingly, trying to ignore the fact he's acting as if nothing happened last night. He even forces his ears up in interest.

 

"Delightful," Oswin holds out a bangled hand towards Taako for a shake. "The crystal is in a cavern just a day's ride from here called Flood Cleaver. If you follow the road east for about nine hours, you'll cross a huge natural stone bridge that takes you over a deep ravine. As soon as you make it across, take a sharp immediate left and head into the trees for about half a mile. Once you hit the mountain, you can use a locate object spell to help you find the hidden entrance. It shouldn't be more than a thousand feet deep inside the cavern, so it shouldn't be any trouble. You do know locate object, don't you?"

 

"Uh, yeah, actually," Magnus says, sounding a little offended on Taako's behalf. "He's Taako. You know, from TV."

 

Oswin's silver eyes widen as he looks between the pair, and his slitted pupils flatten into straight lines. "Wait- are you the Taako? The one from that day?"

 

"Yeah, he is, and you're welcome," Magnus says, somewhat aggressively, before realizing he said the wrong thing, but he rolls with it anyway. "For. Being in his presence."

 

Something funny stirrs in Taako's chest at the defensive tone, a small quirk of his lips the only physical response he gives as he shakes Oswin's hand and makes a small head bow while sitting down. "The one and only, at your service."

 

He turns to Magnus quickly, looking at him appreciatively for a moment, forgetting himself before turning back to the half-dragonborn, standing up to find a paper and pen to write down the directions with, pulling his loose hair back to fall over one shoulder as he writes it down, having mage handed them over. "Alrrrrright, okay. So, anything else before we go, homie?" He looks back up at the merchant, lifting the hand with the pen up a little. "A signature, or.....?"

 

"Are you... offering me an autograph?" Oswin asks, immediately patting himself down for something worth signing. "Yes, please, and thank you," he finally holds out a simple little scroll for Taako to scribble his loopy, beautiful signature on. He doesn't ask one of Magnus, but that's fine, cause Magnus would have told him to put it up his nose, anyway. He stands like a bouncer beside Taako with his arms folded, looking like he might do something like eat the man if he makes a move towards Taako.

 

With a promised five hundred gold for the safe return of Oswin's item, which he refuses to describe, but he gives the pair a simple silver pendant inlaid with emeralds that he claims will react when it's close to the item in question, the pair are on the road. And this is going to prove to be the most challenging thing, of all. Nine hours of nothing but free time to talk about what happened.

 

But do they? Of course not. They talk about everything but what happened. At some point the mood shifts from stilted and awkward to something more closely resembling the comfortable repoire they had before their argument. It isn't that they necessarily want to ignore what happened forever, but they seem to have come to a mutual, unspoken agreement that now simply wasn't the right time.

 

After a few hours of simply talking, Taako takes a deep breath, just.... taking a pause to let the scenery sink in. The drift from awkward to something akin to content is a big improvement from earlier, and he folds in his jacket more with a smile.

 

"You know what was great about earlier? In Sterling's office? You. You looked ready to supplex the thug to the Plane of Thought, I was dying on the inside," he refers, taking a sigh as if he had just been laughing. "Glad to-- uh, be able to count on you to watch my back, you know? 'Ppreciate it. Hope you're ready for some more protecting time up ahead."

 

"Yeah- he was a dick, right? I got like, big ol' dick waves just comin' off that creep. Just dicks all around," Magnus says, holding onto Radcliffe's reins. They're not far now, he can see the stone bridge that Oswin mentioned in the distance. He's always ready to fight for and with Taako, but he doesn't say that out loud. It sounds a little bit too close to something they're trying to avoid right now.

 

"Yeah, he probably follows with it too if I'm being honest. I'm definitely going to loot some shit this time, Taako needs some swag," he jokes, leaning at Magnus for a moment, bumping shoulders with the help of the sway of the cart on the road. They cross the bridge and Taako's feeling a bit antsy.

 

There better not be any bandits or marauders around, it'd make this day a little bit more akward, if he's being honest. It reminds him of their kiss too much, which leaves an odd heaviless in the elf after thinking about it. He sighs and watches the horse travel towards a ravine. "Hm. Getting close."

 

They cross over the bridge without a struggle and like Oswin said, immediately take a left and guide Radcliffe into the trees. It's a bit bumpier, traveling over grass, but quieter at least, as the horse struggles a bit more to pull it in the soft ground. At least it's hardened a bit by the frost on the grass. It takes only a few minutes for them to come upon the mountain Oswin was talking about, which seems to grow up directly out of the side of the ravine, about a mile to their left. Magnus hops down off the cart and considers helping Taako down again by taking him by the waist, but just offers a hand this time, afraid to be too forward.

 

"This looks like the place," he says, looking around for any entrance, but he finds none. Well, the guy did say it was hidden. "Do your magic stuff?"

 

"I gotcha," Magnus says, one hand on Taako's shoulder. "You actually got a beat on the crystal?"

 

Sure enough, Taako's spell has actually located the crystal, at last, tucked away fairly deep inside the cavern, just barely in range for his spell to pick it up, and he's able to find the secret door, which is opened with a simple Knock spell, and it slides up and open on a pulley system. Magnus doesn't let go of Taako's shoulder as they step inside. There are torches lining the walls that aren't lit, but Magnus makes quick work of lighting the first with some flint, and then lighting each subsequent torch as they begin the descent into the cave.

 

"I mean probably not," Magnus says. "But if we wanna ditch going back to Neverwinter, we could just keep it. It might be worth more than the gold that he'd pay us for bringing it back. We should probably wait to make that judgement call when we figure out what the thing's gonna interact with."

 

They approach a fork in the tunnel, with three branching paths that look pretty much identical. Magnus defers to Taako, who guides them through the center tunnel in pursuit of the pull of the crystal. Magnus keeps his eyes peeled for any sort of tripwires or shimmery magical fields or anything really to stand in the way between them and their path, but he's not actually finding anything.

 

"Hey uh, Taako? It's... weird how easy this is, right?" he asks after a minute of following the path, his hand still protectively on the elf's shoulder. "That's not just me, is it?"

 

"Well we've  been pretty lucky so far, and I've got you so I don't think so," he says lightly, looking around as if for the first time since they got here. "It looks like whatever happened, no one else is here so everything is up for grabs. Just a dusty cave, but-- wait do you actually think something's up?" Taako turns to the fighter with an eyebrow raised, stepping a little closer now that he's a little more cautious again.

 

The ride over was boring save the talking so he's still in space out mode. "Maybe the big bad is at the end of this tunnel?" he asks as they make it farther down.

 

"I mean, when are things ever this easy?" Magnus says uneasily as they leave the tunnel and step into a medium-sized cavern that has yet even more paths branching off of it. Magnus immediately grabs Taako by the shoulder with a shout of "Hold on!" just as the elf steps forward and onto a panel that sinks into the ground--

 

But nothing happens. Something clicks, and there's the sound of air discharging, and when they look to their left, a tube is sticking out of the wall. Following the line of sight to the other wall, sure enough, there's already a dart in the wall, and given its appearance, it looks like it's been there for a while.

 

"Uh oh. Looks like someone might have gotten here before us. No wonder there are no traps. Someone must have already tripped them."

 

"Well, this was a collosal waste of effort and time. I uhhhhhh, was sort of hoping for traps," Taako declares, shrugging before laughing. He won't admit how spooked he is by the tripped booby trap, looking at the dart warily before lowering his ears down. "You know what, fuck this."

 

And with that Taako stops, and moves to walk forward with abandon, not wanting to chance fate and backing out now considering how easy the oportunity is. He felt good about this one too somehow, maybe his intuition is finally right for once and they got a lucky break. There's still a pull too. So without further thinking, the elf strides along even faster.

 

"Well- holy shit, Taako, rushing in is supposed to be my thing," Magnus says, hurrying along to keep stride with the elf. As they move deeper and deeper into the cave, Taako clumsily trips trap after trap that have all already discharged, tripwires and swinging axes from the ceiling and nets already discarded on the ground, every single one has already been either disarmed, or tripped by one or more unlucky traveler.

 

"This is- this is a lot of traps, Taako, you're sure it's still here?" he asks, but the elf reassures him that he can definitely feel the pull of the crystal. His spell successfully located it, and he's following it right now- this is officially the end of the road, the crystal is in this cave. Taako's excitement over finally finding the thing they've been all over hell and yonder looking for is the only thing that keeps Magnus from calling bogus and turning the whole thing around. Something is putting a big, big sense of unease in his stomach.

 

Taako is oblivious to Magnus' crisis, as he's too focused on the divining rod in his hands to really pay much attention. The tug gets stronger and stronger the farther they go, and they reach a clearing up ahead, which only leads to one tunnel. It's straight forward and, after a few more hidden panels are activated, and fail to launch, Taako's feeling quite cocky. The traps are all duds, whoever was here before them never got to their crystal.

 

He feels useful for once, after so many dead ends after he drags Magnus around. The human may not mind but it bothers Taako, wasting time and going in circles. This is the only clue to finding the soul crystal, the one that he was supposed to look over. "It's defo in here, Maggie, I think this is it! I can't believe it-- who would have figured some poor thug sissied out before getting to the end of the tunnel?"

 

"I- I don't know, I feel like maybe we should go back and regroup, I don't think Oswin told us everything," Magnus says, uneasy despite the excited glitter in Taako's eyes. He sighs when he sees the stricken look on Taako's face at the idea of them turning around when they're so close, and he forces himself to swallow down his bad feeling. Maybe for once, things are just going to be okay. Maybe they're just so used to everything being shit all the time that they don't even know how to handle it when things are just plain going well.

 

"Okay, I'm sorry," he says with a sigh. "It's okay. Lead the way."

 

He follows behind Taako as he leads him down the final tunnel, in which they find the same thing- more traps already tripped, wires cut and launchers spent. It branches off into a huge room, their only path forward a huge suspended stone bridge over a some twenty-foot drop into softly running water. The bridge leads out to a platform about thirty feet wide and almost perfectly round, suspended up on a big stone pillar growing up out of the water. In the center of the platform is a modest pedestel, and sitting right on top of it, the crystal they've been looking for this whole time. Beside the crystal's pedestal lies an adult skeleton of indeterminate species, one arm still raised up against the pedestal, and around the skeleton's neck is a matching pendant to the one in Taako's hand, which both begin to glow from their emeralds when they emerge from the end of the tunnel onto the ledge that leads to the bridge.

 

"Huh, wouldja look at that. Think he'd be a good drinking buddy for the Disaster team?" Taako jokes as he refers to Kravitz and the other two reapers, seemingly unbothered by the skeleton. He's so engrossed in getting the crystal that his usual wariness is out the window, but he has some self preservation when he pauses to look down at the pendant. "Ooookay, weird. So Oswin wanted this sad sack's swag?"

 

Taako steps forward and onto the bridge slowly, taking more caution now with their end goal in sight, and shifts to peer over the edge to see the water, ears perking up. The elf hums and turns off the spell, seeing the crystal plainly in sight as Magnus trails behind him more tensely than before. "Shake it off, Mags, what's got you worked up so bad? It's right there."

 

Taako rubs his hands and practically skips to the stone.

 

"I don't know, just. A bad feeling." Magnus tentatively reaches down towards the pendant and touches it with one fingertip. Nothing happens, no magic discharges or anything, no traps spring, so he just shrugs his shoulder and takes it off the skeleton, which collapses and falls to pieces, the skull rolling off the edge of the side and plonking into the water below. Magnus holds it up and then reaches his hand out for the other. When Taako gives it to him, he holds them up side by side. "They're identical," he says, and then flips them over to the back. The one that Oswin had given them has a big, fancy script R carved into the back, while the one they just picked up off the skeleton has a fancy, matching O on the back. "What do you think that means?" he asks, trying to just stall for time before going to the crystal that's lightly glowing and singing on the pedestal.

 

"Looks like they can be initials. Like best friend or lover mementos sort of thing. It spells 'OR' if you put them together like this," he muses, switching the pendants around so they match his speculation, light as it is. With a snicker he smirks up at Magnus and takes a moment to just.... drink it in. Even with how nervous Magnus is about the cave he's glad the last stretch is just okay enough between them to even talk.

 

Without another moment on that embarrassing thought, Taako goes up to the pedestal and picks up the soul crystal, despite Magnus jolting towards him as he picks it up and inspects it curiously. He'll think more on the fact that this is a major accomplishment for himself and grins widely, looking back over his shoulder. "Got it~"

 

As soon as he picks up the crystal and turns around with it, something snaps. Magnus' cry of protest is cut off as he watches the single, barely visible thread tying the crystal to the pedestal snap, illuminated by his torchlight at just the right angle. The instant it snaps, the cavern begins to shake and tremor with the sound of mean, sinister, echoing laughter. The crystal in Taako's hand transforms into a fat, angry rat which bites him on the thumb and then jumps to the ground when he drops it in surprise, and scurries down the bridge just in time for them to watch it collapse as a rock falls from the ceiling.

 

There's no time for I-told-you-so's, Magnus just throws his arm around Taako and yanks him against his chest, waving his torch around to try and see every corner of the dark cavern. Another rock falls, and a little bit of grey light seeps in from outside, but before Magnus can reach for his grappling hook to try and swing them out of here, a jet of water springs out of the side of the cavern and hits them both like a freight engine, knocking them back off the pedestal and into the water.


	9. Chapter 9

It's pitch black, and they can't breathe. They catch a few gulps of air when the rapids thrust them to the surface, but it isn't enough. The force of the blow had knocked Taako out of his arms, but Magnus keeps a tight grip on his hand as they're pulled through a tunnel, dark and freezing cold. But even that doesn't last. His back hits a rock and knocks the wind out of him, and Taako's hand is ripped away from his. He screams, inhales a gulp of water, chokes on it, gasps for air at the surface and is dragged under again. Taako is gone.

 

The elf reappears after curving below the raging currents, gasping desperately for air as hair plasters to his face, and neck, and arms, trying to cry out to Magnus but each time he tries to inhale to shout water laps in and makes him cough. He goes under again, the dark water surrounding him like a suffocating abyss and he shuts his eyes tightly, fear spiking as he fights for breath, to grab a hold of anything that will give him leverage.

 

Taako's lungs burn as he tries to hold on to what little breath he has as the water sweeps him in ever direction, all that he sees is the darkness and it's crushing its weight against his frail body. After one more resurfacing, one more wet gasp that takes in as much air as possible, he's pushed back under and before he can grasp which way is up or down the back of the elf's head is struck with something hard, jarring, and his vision goes black, and the current takes him into a heavy, cold unconsciousness.

 

Magnus finally find relief when he's thrown from the water down a waterfall, and he lands in a blessedly shallow, calm area. He flips over onto his knees, coughing and spluttering, hacking water up and dry heaving when it doesn't come up fast enough, belching and dizzy. He crawls through the shallow water, looking for some purchase, something to climb to get him out of the freezing, churning depths. His frozen, clumsy hands find a small ledge, just tall enough to get him out of the water and he climbs up onto it, and as he crawls forward, his hands hit something soft and cold. He recoils at first in alarm in the pitch black his mind comes up with a million things it could be, but he reaches forward again and feels long, wet hair and long, limp ears, and his heart falls into his stomach.

 

"Taako," gasps, patting up his chest to his face and frantically feeling for a pulse. Nothing.

 

The sound that leaves Magnus is wrenching. It's Julia all over again, it's his inability to save the people who matter to him again, thrown cruelly in his face. He screams. His voice echoes, something falls and crashes in the water, and he does the only thing he can. He pinches Taako's nose, breathes into his mouth and begins pumping his hands over his chest in a desperate, frantic attempt to bring him back from the edge, mumbling and whispering desperate apologies and pleas for Taako to come back to him as tears drip off his cheeks in the dark and land on Taako's.

 

The elf stays unresponsive as Magnus tries everything he can. Compressions, breaths, even trying to rouse up Taako by holding his face after the tenth or so breath cycle and Taako is still limp, and his weight is oddly light, like it's barely there at all. The ruins of the cavern are gone, the sound of rushing water a distant thing as Magnus kneels over Taako wracked with guilt and fear.

 

As soon as Magnus falters, fearing the worst, and takes up Taako into his arms to hold, there's a weak convulsion coming from the elf once he's turned on his side and wrapped close to Magnus to cradle. A current of the thick water spills from his mouth and he coughs so harshly it shakes Magnus' frame, wheezing desperately for air.

 

Weak, numb hands grasp for the nearest thing, and that's Magnus' hip, what little warmth Magnus still has a beacon for Taako to seek, barely moving as he pants for breath.

 

Magnus is inconsolable when he hears Taako choke. He grips him tight and desperate, holding him so tight the elf can barely inhale enough to get the breath he desperately needs. Magnus doesn't cry as much as he screams with relief, trembling and howling and babbling thank yous and apologies and promises that all trail off into one another. The fear that consumed him the moment he thought it was lost was so, so familiar. He's so swept up in the relief that he doesn't notice the water that had previously been below the ledge has now crept up around his knees.

 

"I'm so sorry, I'm sorry I let go, I'll never let go again," he babbles nonsense, brushing Taako's hair back away from his face, wishing he could just see his face. "Breathe, come on, get it up," he finally comes back to his senses, thumping Taako hard on the back to help him choke everything up, still cradling him against his shoulder.

 

Another current of water gushes from Taako's mouth, and he coughs a little weaker after that, getting in choppy, hoarse breaths as he slowly comes back to his senses, only barely registering that he was being held, that someone was talking. Once he recognizes Magnus' voice he lets out a shuddering gasp and lifts a heavy limb to touch the large man's chest. His words slur horribly from the cold and the hit to his head, managing a small, "Mag....." before trying to sit up.

 

Taako's head is pounding and he's seeing spots, but in the dark, the elf can see Magnus' face dimly, heart wrenching at the sight of the torment and grief on the fighters face. "Y-y-you were right-- You... 'bout th' stone. 'm s-s-sorry," he croaks, shivering terribly. The water starts to slowly climb up, and it spikes up a chilling terror in Taako. He doesn't want to suffocate again. Not again. "Wat-- W..." he tries to warn, clinging as tight as he can manage to Magnus, urginh him to move away from the currents.

 

"What? Don't move, don't even worry about the stone, it's fine, you're fine, everything's fine," he says, pulling Taako up into his lap, so focused on the dizzy elf that he doesn't even notice the water slowly climbing up. He can barely hear his weak voice over the sound of the waterfall crashing over the edge into the water below. He has to get Taako out of here, he has to figure something out, he has to protect him. He can't lose someone he loves again.

 

It hits him again with the same force as that jet of water,  as soon as he thinks it. It'd always been a nebulous truth in the back of his mind, but he never really thought those words to himself with purpose. It feels so tangible now, so real.

 

"Taako, I can't see," he chokes out. "I need you to tell me what you can see around the room, I've got to get you out of here. Do you have any light cantrips? Can you even cast any cantrips right now?"

 

Taako struggles to turn his head and blink open his eyes, everything churning and he feels nauseated, but he fights it in order to help Magnus, to guide him to safety so he doesn't have to feel that terrifying, crushing weight.... Taako's breath picks up from his sheer terror, and he gulps to try to calm down, holding out a shakey hand to use produce flame, something small that gives off enough light for Magnus to see some, and Taako to get a better picture.

 

The light hurts his eyes and he hisses. Through the pain he notices there's a steep but clear looking path upwards a good twenty feet to their right, hand shaking terribly as he holds it out to the direction of the path with wheezes. "Th.... the..... Hhh...." he's still not able to piece together coherent sentences, but the elf makes his intention quite clear. It's all Taako can do to focus, the rest of his waterlogged body limp in Magnus' hold.

 

"Okay. Okay, Taako. Keep that light up." He carefully manipulates the elf around his shoulder and onto his back, looping his arms over his shoulders and getting a firm hold on his legs. When he realizes he'll need to climb, he undoes his belt and loops it under Taako's knees, fastening it back over his hips so the exhausted elf doesn't have to do much work to stay on his back but keep his arms folded around his neck. He realizes as he gets to his feet that the water is climbing up to his knees, so time is definitely of the essence. When he steps down off the platfom, he sinks into the water up to his waist and he slogs through the frigid depths towards the climb up to the incline. "Hold on tight," he says, and starts to climb. His hands are freezing, aching as he makes his way up the wet, slippery rocks, nearly slipping a few times when unsteady chunks would break off and he would have to scramble just to keep from falling back down into the water on top of Taako, tied to his back.

 

His muscles are aching and trembling with exertion and cold as he finally reaches the top of the ledge, and he looks back down over his shoulder to see that the water has already climbed halfway up behind them. He hefts himself over the edge with a groan and crawls up onto the platform, the water just a few feet below them. And when he looks up to gauge their next move, his heart sinks.

The incline that Taako had seen was an illusion. It climbed up a few feet behind an outcropping that had blocked Taako's vision, and ends in a solid wall. He looks back down at the water and then out at the rest of the cavern as he comes to the shaking, heartbreaking realization that they're trapped, and there's absolutely no way out. Magnus gives a sob of defeat and unties Taako from his back, manipulating him so he can hold the exhausted, unaware elf in his lap.

 

"Hey buddy," he murmurs as the cantrip drops and plunges them back into darkness. He pulls hair out of Taako's face and does his best to keep him warm with what little body heat he has left.

 

"Maggie..." the elf croaks out weakly in response, curling against Magnus to sink into the warmth, everything else spinning in place as the rush of the water still echoes through the ruined clearing like a taunting reminder of their upcoming doom. Confused why Magnus stopped, he blinks around. Taako's breath hitches softly, his voice up a few octaves as he squeezes out a tight, "No..."

 

The elf doesn't want things to end without resolving.... everything. He brings back his voice, after fighting back the nausea and the pain threatening to take his consciousness again, and reaches up to take Magnus' jaw in a gently trembling hand. His voice is tired, raw with emotion. He can't tell himself if he's crying or not, all the water is the same.

 

"Mag-- M... Magnus I-I love you," he starts, "I'm... I'm sorry for... ev'rything.... Y-your hand... Lucy-- t-trying to kiss you. I didn't mean t' h... hurt you."

 

Magnus sobs and holds him tighter, cradling the back of his head against his shoulder and just rocking them both. It feels like a lance in his heart, both painful and relieving, warm and heavy and terrifying. All he wants is to get Taako out of here, all he wants is to protect him, send him back to his sister, send him home to Kravitz, even if meant drowning himself in this godforsaken cavern alone where nobody would ever find his body.

 

"You don't have anything to apologize for," he whispers, running his fingers through Taako's wet hair, clearing the last strands away from his face. "I should be the one apologizing- I'm so sorry for- for how long I've been letting this weight sit on my shoulders- I know it doesn't make sense, and it's too little too late, but I think- I think Julia says it's okay. She- there was a flower- it's too much to explain now and it sounds dumb when I think about saying it out loud, there's no time-" he can hear the water isn't far behind them, now. "I love you too, Taako. And I'm so. I'm so sorry for how long it took me to figure that out."

 

There's a soft, wet laughter as Taako hiccups, sobbing as Magnus speaks and even if the human can't see him, Taako smiles. "Took you long 'nough.... Just.... D-don't die on me." He leans up to face Magnus properly, resting their foreheads together lightly. He starts to calm, even when the ceiling starts to crumble and the pieces fall into the rising water. The current comes closer and closer, like the Hunger but colder, heavy.

 

This is it, isn't it? Taako cups Magnus' face gently while sitting up in his lap, breath uneven from crying as he tries desperately to think of what to do to save them, cherishing this moment just a bit longer. "We'll-- We'll get out of here. I-I love-- I..."

 

Magnus isn't so sure that they will, but he doesn't want to scare Taako. The splashes of rocks falling into the water hit them, their skin already so numb they barely feel it. The darkness is somehow peaceful, for Magnus. On the list of ways that he could have gone, this probably isn't the worst one. Taako being here is the only thing that makes him hesitate to just resign himself to his fate.

 

"Thank you," he whispers, and he kisses Taako as the water reaches their ledge and begins to seep up around their hips. "For taking me on one more great adventure."

 

He holds Taako against his chest as the water continues to climb, up their hips, up to their chests. It's freezing, but he feels warm, knowing at the very least that he isn't going to die alone, unfulfilled. They take one more big, deep breath, and just stay where they are as the water climbs over their heads, resigned to their fate, resigned to die in one another's embrace, in a dark cave. As far as any of their friends know, they'll have just disappeared together one day, just like Lup did so long ago. Kravitz will find them, of course, and he'll send the news back to the rest of Taako's friends of what happened. Maybe he'll let Taako join the reaper party with his sister, but Magnus. He'll just join the collective, peaceful consciousness of all of the rest of life that has ever been. It doesn't sound so bad.

 

He feels a tug in the water that pulls him slightly to the left, and realizes in an instant what it is. With only a few seconds to spare, he takes his belt again, still undone in its loops and buckles it around behind Taako's back.

 

He's not losing him a second time.

 

He pushes off the ledge. A current takes them- where? He can't be sure. But it's a chance.

 

The water is smoother this time, dragging them through some kind of tunnel. Their lungs burn, and as the darkness drags on, it becomes clear that this might have been a lost cause, but then there's a light, and all at once they're thrown out into the air. There's a split second of relief, before they both come to the realization that they've been ejected out of the side of that ravine they crossed over on the bridge, spilling out of a waterfall and facing a 200 foot drop to a river below.

 

After the kiss, after resigning to, ironically, the idea he's dating-- death, Taako feels the whiplash of the current as they moved down, heart hammering and clutching so tightly to Magnus that he's sure that it's not pleasant, but the water surrounding them terrifies Taako. The tunnel's light makes him turn towards it, and suddenly. Air. He inhales sharply to scream but coughs instead, trying to get his bearings enough to focus and cast Feather Fall, taking him a couple seconds.

 

They float for 50 feet, Taako holding on desperately to the human with hair plastered everywhere, the light showing the pink tinged strands heavily fluttering in the air around the two as they land in the water below gently, almost oddly so. It makes Taako's stomach churn and he's ready to never look at a river again. He starts to bawl with tears of relief and terror, delirious from everything that had happened since picking up the fake crystal.

 

Magnus keeps one arm around Taako, still tied to him by the belt, and uses the other to swim to the edge of the ravine and get his bearings. There isn't any easy way out of here, and he's pretty sure there's another waterfall waiting for them if they just floated along- besides, they're both so freezing already that spending any more time in the winter water would surely be a death sentence. So he loosens the belt and shifts Taako onto his back again, belt tight and preparing for another climb.

 

"Think you can pop off one more spell?" he asks as he finds the first foot hold and starts to make his way up. "I won't lie-" he pants. "A little bit of- levitation- would go a long way right now."

 

"Okay... j-just uh, don't let go," he stammers, not shivering anymore but he makes an incantation and touches Magnus, and suddenly his limbs feel light and the human floats, it makes Taako's hair rise too, like a pair of golden wings on the fighter's back, and it becomes so much easier to get out of the water, and Taako lifts up a heavy limb to cast Rope Trick, off to the side somewhere from the river for Magnus to hold on to, to pull them to safety.

 

Taako feels so dizzy, his vision is swimming and his gut hurts from the water and the crying and just everything. He slumps again to conserve energy, just holding onto Magnus and hoping Taako's slow-coming warmth is enough to help them through the biting cold. He wants to sleep so so much.....

 

Magnus climbs the rope with ease, his own exhausted muscles aided by the levitation. He's trembling with exertion when they finally reach the upper ledge, and laughs humorlessly as he realizes they're almost exactly where they started, Radcliffe is in sight from the point he climbs over the edge. He trudges to the cart, exhausted, and pulls a few items from the back just to make space, with Taako still tied to his back. The adrenaline is finally seeping out of him and he's so exhausted that black is creeping at the edges of his vision, but he pushes through it and forces himself to stay upright as he clears a spot big enough for the both of them to lay down, and lines it with a nest of furs and blankets.

 

He pulls Taako off his back and sits him on the edge of the cart, keeping the woozy elf upright with one arm as he carefully peels off all of his clothing until the trembling elf is nude in the frigid air, and then he lays him down in the nest of furs and quickly follows suit. He doesn't remember where he heard it, but he knows that the best thing to do for people suffering with hypothermia is to get all the wet clothing off and lie in a warm, dry place. He climbs into the nest following Taako and curls up behind him, both of them shivering as the heat begins to sink into their exhausted bodies.


	10. Chapter 10

Unconsciousness follows for the both of them fairly quickly, the furs slowly warming them up over time. They don't rouse after 8 hours from their spot, and by that time luckily Taako's head has stopped bleeding, but he'll be a little delirious. The next day comes around and the sun is shining against the wagon, heating the two up in a glow of warm light all around the wagon, effectively keeping them comfortable.

 

It takes about ten minutes longer for Taako to wake up after Magnus does, his movements slow and sluggish, but he's moving. The elf groans and pushes into the warmth from Magnus without much thought, even pushing his hips back to cuddle better. He refuses to get up. "God my fucking head hurts...."

 

Magnus had just been lying there for a while awake, just thinking. It was strange, going from fear to confessions, to resignation, back to fear, and then reconciling what it means to still be alive after all of that. Of course he's glad that they made it, that they're still alive, but the uncertainty about what comes next makes his skin feel tight. All he knows for now is that he has Taako in his arms, voice cracking, complaining, just like Taako should.

 

He gently coaxes the elf to turn over so they can face eachother, gently pulling his hair away from his face and laying it down behind him. It's not wet anymore, but it is stringy and messy, and will need a pretty deep cleansing soon. Magnus doesn't care. He just looks down at Taako, wreathed in curls illuminated by golden, morning sunshine and smiles softly.

 

"Hey."

 

"Hey yourself, homie..." Taako looks up with a small smile, voice still hoarse. He reaches up to brush a lock of Magnus' hair back from his forehead and chuckles. "Looks like fire. It's pretty nifty," the elf lilts, a little slurred still. The hand stills at Magnus' cheek with a slightly cool hand, looking him over with a thoughtful expression.

 

"What do we do now? Think Oswin lied to us?" he asks, ear flicking back nervously. Taako plays with the rat bite from earlier and purses his lips, the sun steadily rising and heating the cart up more, the fur feeling soft and pleasant around them as it warms as well.

 

"I don't know. I'd like to beat his ass, personally. He almost got us killed,"  he says. He can't seem to stop touching Taako. He pets his hair and brushes his fingers over his face, over his shoulder and upper arms. It's such a relief to be able to look at him again, whole and alive, and maybe a little bit concussed again, but it's nothing serious. He looks so incredibly, unbelievably beautiful like this, with the glamour dropped, too exhausted to maintain it through the night.

 

The conversation they had, pressed and harrowing in the cavern feels almost too sacred to bring up, but Magnus has to clear the air. "I talked to Julia," he whispers, brushing his thumb in circles over Taako's cheek. "Back in Neverwinter. And I think... I think she answered me."

 

"Well I- it sounds cheesy now, but-" he explains to Taako in slow, faltering words that make his eyes prick all over, how he bought a cup of Julia's favorite tea- a tea he didn't even really like, only for a whole, perfect blossom of her flower, of their flower, the flowers that bloomed on the tree in the yard of their very first house together, the flowers she wore every single day in her hair, to land in his teacup, face up. Sure, the whole thing could have just been a coincidence, but nothing that has ever happened to them has ever felt purely like coincidence. He holds Taako against his chest and rests his nose in his hair, too afraid to look him in the face.

 

"Taako, I-" his breath hitches. "Julia would have loved you."

 

"We-- Mmm.... I know I do already," he replies, wiping away Magnus' tears that threaten to brim over, listening the whole time. He lowers his gaze afterwards and pauses, stewing. The elf takes a sharp breath, clamps his mouth shut so his teeth click, and tries again, looking a little unsure of himself. It's not an obvious look, but it's more noticeable without the glamour spell on. Taako doesn't realize he's let himself emote a lot under the assurance he can hide behind his mask.

 

"I talked to Lucretia after I-- After what happened. I apologized to her. I-- I know what you're thinking, I must be lying-- no, forreal, Magnus. I used the Stone of Far Speech to contact her and uh-- I talked with her about some things. About my feelings, wanting to-- wanting to fix things between us. She helped me with some sound advice," Taako rambles, trying to get this out as quickly as he can while he has the chance.

 

"Lucretia asked if I ever told you I lo-- uh.... If..." he grunts in embarrassment and covers his face now, obviously growing shy and grumbles, "If I told you I loved you. It took me twenty god damn minutes to finally say it but when she asked who I loved I answered immediately. Stupid, I know-- But.... I-I talked to her. Like a person. No.... no yelling or-- or cold exterior. A real conversation. I-- don't... forgive her just yet. But. It's a start... I wanted to tell you this so you know. I'm uh-- really glad we got some issues out of the way earlier. I mean. No pressure on.... on us. That's-- if you want to wait I can do that, homie, just let me know-- I... I'll try--"

 

As Taako stammers his way through an incredibly uncertain explanation of what he did the same night that Magnus was feeling sorry for himself under a tree, his chest blooms warm with pride. He's struck with the fact that everything has sort of always been building to this, hasn't it? He's sure he can hear Istus laughing joyously somewhere in another plane.

 

He cuts Taako off with a kiss, a kiss like the one he's been thinking about since that night when they were attacked by bandits, but less feverish, less wanting. Content kisses, relieved, soft and slow and celebratory. They're alive, and they've got a lot left to work through, but Magnus is pretty sure he's done building the walls he uses as an excuse. Once in a while he might find himself with bricks in his hands again, but when that happens, he hopes Taako will be there to help him put them down and lead him back out of the labyrinth he built for himself.

 

Taako stiffens at first from the initial contact, but melts under it fairly quickly, reciprocating warmth and even wraps his arm around the human, petting down his spine contently and feeling over the scars on Magnus' back. This.... is definitely different from their shared one from before, but it's so nice and sweet.

 

Taako can't stop smiling the whole way through it and afterwards once they pull back to just.... look at each other. Once the light in the cart intensifies that's enough for Taako for the meantime, closing his eyes with an annoyed groan. "Hey, as much as I love this and.... and want to keep looking at your stupid face, we need to get back.... I mean don't get me wrong, we're going to-- to continue this some more but my head is killing me. How are you doing, Maggie?"

 

Magnus licks his lips with a chuckle when Taako tries to get their minds back on the mission. Usually it was him doing that, not Taako. He brushes Taako’s hair away from his face, just gazing down at him for a moment.

 

“I’m fine,” he says, rubbing his thumb on a speck of dried blood to scrape it away. “But if I’m honest... well, how bad does your head hurt? Cause the way I see it, Neverwinter isn’t going anywhere, and I _just_ started to be able to kiss you again.”

 

Something flickers in the lower pit of Taako's stomach, eyes widening just slightly before a smile forms, shifting closer to Magnus. "Well.... I'll live. And.... you have a good point there, bubuleh," he muses, reaching a hand up to cup the back of Magnus' head. He plays with the soft little hairs in the back and lowers his ears to relax, a hint of a sultry look in Taako's eyes.

 

"But you're going to have to up the heat if you want ch'aboy to stay put." Taako leans up and kisses Magnus' neck, just under his jaw, open-mouthed. Neverwinter can wait, Magnus is right. And there's some leftover adrenaline from yesterday, there's little downside, and Magnus is intoxicating.

 

Magnus is taken aback by the sudden jump in forwardness from Taako, but honestly he’s not mad at it. He catches himself on his hand before toppling over on top of the elf and sighs, content. Goddamn it’s been a long time since anybody kissed him on the neck- but he keeps his thoughts away from the past, for now. He doesn’t want to spend all his time looking at his past, he doesn’t want to make himself sad anymore when there’s a beautiful elf lying under him, vulnerable, dying just to make him happy.

 

 _Dying_. The thought puts a chill in the back of his throat. He very nearly lost Taako, and he hasn’t really had the time to confront the way that made him feel. It’ll probably hit him like a sack of bricks later on, but for now he deflects and redirects his angst back into affection for the elf beneath him, and tips his head to give him more room to work over his neck. He kind of hopes he’ll leave a mark, if he’s honest.

 

Taako huffs when Magnus rolls on him but the pressure is nice, for once, and licks his lips when Magnus gives access to his neck. He leans back in and licks up a strike just over the human's jugular before nipping under his ear, playing with the soft skin while deft fingers slide up and down Magnus' chest with one hand to map out the warm skin and feel the strain of his muscles holding himself up enough to let the elf breathe, which Taako greatly appreciates, but he has a sense that Magnus is just a little too far away. "Hold on, Mags--"

 

Hips shift under the two until it's a little comfier, slotting a thigh between Magnus' so it bends at the knee just slightly. Taako suckles on the soft, sensitive skin with a hum and works on it enough to, indeed, leave a mark, going to the other side to give a matching pair.

 

Magnus lets his head hang and takes a few deep breaths to calm the storm in his mind, the last few remaining vestiges of guilt trying to convince him that he doesn’t deserve to be happy. He is so tired, and he has suffered so much, and he loves Taako with his whole heart. They have _earned_ this moment.

 

He pulls back and gives Taako a tender look, cups his face in both hands, and connects their mouths in a meaningful, languid kiss. With each slide of their soft, wet mouths, they find new angles that they were made for, breathing hotly through their noses, eyes closed and just feeling. It’s gentle and slow and profound, sinking warmth into their bodies from head to toe. All at once, Magnus realizes how much he _missed_ this.

 

Looking back on the amount of time they spent as lovers seems like such a blip relatively speaking. But ordinary people who are lovers for a year can form a lifelong bond in that same amount of time- and they had something like that a hundred times over and more. He remembers all at once, the very last time they made love. It was the night after the end of their very first cycle, and Taako had come to Magnus’ room. He’d been so, _so frightened_ when they flew away in the starblaster. He learned later from Lup that as soon as Taako realized that Davenport was flying away instead of flying to go get Magnus, he went supernova. He shouted, threatened, accused, and finally just embraced his sister, before Magnus was put back together by the universe with careful hands, and the first thing he felt right after being killed was Taako’s entire weight flung at him full tilt.

 

It was that night that Taako crawled into his bed and just held onto him in silence for a while. They made love slow and sweet and tender that night, and even though neither of them planned it that way, it was the last time they did. Their priorities shifted after that first cycle, after they understood the full gravity of their divine duty. Some of the other birds were lucky enough to find enough time to nest, Lup and Barry’s growth together had been so profound and so _needed_ , but Taako and Magnus needed something different. They discovered together that it was more important to them to feel stable and supported by one another, rather than the fleeting, messy technicalities of getting off. Since saving the world, since the bureau and the day of story and song, since losing their memory and learning their mortality, those priorities shifted again.

 

It’s humbling, thinking where they’ve come from, and how they wound up here, in this exact moment. Every single choice they’ve ever made in the past hundred some years has been leading to this. Slow and sweet and tender and _heartbreaking_. There are tears in Magnus’ eyes when he pulls away, and one drips down onto Taako’s cheek. He rubs it away with his thumb and whispers,

 

“Can I touch you?”

 

Taako nods wordlessly, his expression understanding but concerned by the tears. A careful hand cups Magnus' cheek comfortingly, his own lips tingling from the sweet contact he so dearly missed, the kind of feeling only Magnus can give him, and bites his lip.

 

"Of course," he finally vocalizes, giving Magnus full permission to go as fast or as slow as they need. He'll worry over his own insecurities at a later date. The emotion in Magnus' face is what Taako focuses on the most, and shifts so his posture is open, inviting. There's a smile on the elf's face, hand stroking Magnus' cheek with an uncharacteristic tenderness unlike Taako normally, even during the century long journey at most times.

 

With permission, Magnus unloads a century of repressed desires. His hands roam, the furs are shucked, and they can see eachother completely nude for the first time in a hundred years. Magnus has remained largely unchanged, his muscles perhaps are a little more deep set, far away from the decorative and performative way he wore his muscles in his youth. He has new scars, scars he’s collected over the years from various fights, scars that haven’t been undone by the decades of redos, and much to Taako’s surprise, he has a couple small tattoos here and there- the most notable of which is a small flock of exactly seven birds in a line on his collarbone that looks so faded, he must have gotten it almost a decade ago- well after he’d lost his memory.

 

He pets his hands over Taako’s body, lithe and honey-colored, warm and ropey and sublime. He kisses his neck and his ears, licking the long shell and sucking the point as he slots himself between Taako’s spread, skinny thighs. It’s been so long, but it feels like it was just yesterday, the last time they were like this. They still remember the language of one another’s bodies, and Magnus hasn’t forgotten how to make Taako sing.

 

The touches send harsh shivers down Taako's spine, a gasp escaping him when his ears are touched, unable to think and move suddenly it struck him so hard, and he slips out a moan unintentionally. It makes the elf's narrow hips buck up against Magnus' which makes them both groan from the friction. "Hhffuck," he breathes.

 

Taako's hands roam in Magnus' hair, down his neck, over the collarbone and over the marks, brushing over every faded one and then back to one of the ones in the middle, the black silhouette of a dove. It makes his heart flutter for a moment when he's coherent enough and slips the hand down to Magnus' stomach, fingers falling into the dip of the other's hip to squeeze and tilts his head slightly to give Magnus better access.

 

Magnus grinds his hips down, lazy and content. He doesn’t feel any need to rush this, he just wants to explore the body he forgot and remembered again, he just wants to feel his skin shudder and his back arch in ways that are familiar and brand new. His heart hurts for how much he loves this elf, for how long he spent away from him, loving someone else just as fondly, while Taako was alone. He has a lot of missed time to make up for.

 

Grinding his hips down, Magnus refamiliarizes himself with the way their skin knows eachother, their arousals lined up side by side, pointing in a straight line up to where their mouths meet in fevered kisses. He breaks it only long enough to spit in his hand and then close it around them both, jerking slowly, languidly, in time with the gentle rocking of his hips. Nothing about this makes him want to rush, his pleasure is unhurried and familiar.

 

Taako rocks into it with a lazy pace, fuzzy with warmth and pleasure as he kisses Magnus more languidly. It's strikingly familiar, how their lips slip perfectly, how familiar each muscle is when roaming his hands over, every squeeze and grind just as achingly familiar as he imagined, if not more. Taako nips Magnus' lower lip into his own playfully, huffing out a laugh and a moan simultaneously.

 

The elf knows there's no rush. This isn't their feverish, desperate lust after the end of their world, the calamity they faced yearly threatening to end them at any time. This is soft, and thoughtful, and so... so _nice_ it makes Taako pull back just to look at Magnus, appreciating him for everything. Their close friendship, all the late nights they spent talking about their lives while looking for relics, the laughs they shared both at the Bureau, and in the ship.

 

It makes Taako's face light up and he covers his eyes, suddenly too flummoxed by the pure adoration he has for the human coming to surface and he can't stop smiling, even when his hips roll up lazily and small noises slip out he can't handle just how gentle and slow everything is. He isn't used to that even after they saved all of reality, even after months of affection being subjected on him Taako is still overwhelmed, unbelievably, by all this. But it's not bad. He craves it but he's had so little touch the last decade it's almost too much, and his face hurts from smiling and he moves up to place a kiss on Magnus' chin, not quite reaching up to be able to get to those lips.

 

Magnus gently peels Taako’s hands off his face with both his own, holding his wrists with care and pressing the pads of his thumbs against his palms. He rocks his hips down to meet Taako’s with a little more speed and purpose, sighing against his neck.

 

“Don’t hide,” he murmurs, kissing his throat, mouthing up to his ear, that secret spot that makes Taako absolutely weak. “Don’t hide from me. I wanna see you. I missed you. Missed you like this.”

 

His voice is rough edged with pleasure, hoarse and sincere as he leans up to smile down at Taako, holding his hands down to the layer of furs beneath him as he slides his cock against Taako’s with just enough force that the cart is rocking ever so slightly under them, contributing to the gentle motion they’re creating.

 

Taako goes limp for a moment and exhales weakly when Magnus nibbles on his weakest spot at the crook of his ear and neck and gulps thickly, eyes closed instead with an embarrassed noise. The huskiness of Magnus' voice makes a spike jump up in his stomach, and he relishes in the slightly quickened pace, quick enough to make little jolts of pleasure coarse gently through but not quick enough for it to be frantic. "I missed you-- nnh-- you too." Taako doesn't try to be quiet, but he's not all that loud, just vocal. The fur shifts with their weight rocking back and forth, and it feels so nice against the elf's bare skin. He's still weak from the kisses even if his hips shift up with every pump. Taako still smiles, arms shaking ever so slightly but he's starting to reach a heavenly level of bliss that's just so soft and very much like Magnus, and it's sappy just thinking about it and he's back to blushing like a madman all the way down his neck. "Fuck..."

 

"Got you," Magnus murmurs, wrapping one big arm underneath Taako's waist, pinning him against Magnus' chest, practically lifting him bodily off the furs. He's panting now, close to the peak, sharing breath with Taako, drinking his gasps and shaky whimpers, inhaling them like they're his own breath. He feels his stomach clenching in preparation, his breathing picking up, and he has a hard time keeping his eyes open- but he does anyway. He wants to see Taako when he spills over the edge, wants to see if he makes the same face. Their kisses become more nebulous, their mouths occasionally connecting as they slant over one another, biting and tasting the other's skin, their necks and shoulders, pink bite marks left behind and sweat minglin. It's getting warm in the caravan, the canvas amplifying the heat, and they both shine with pleasure, the furs long since thrown off. He whispers again, more hoarsely, "Got you."

 

Magnus' voice, and to another extent his words, are all the push he needs to reach the peak of orgasm, voiced pitched and breathlessly calling out Magnus' as he spills over, body jolting against the human. His face goes slack and the elf's eyes roll up slightly through the white hot pleasure coursing through, clinging to Mangus for dear life, and anchor back to this reality like he'll get lost in the pleasure. Taako pants for breath, slightly labored from the intense feeling and the heat surrounding them both and moans through the aftershock, eyes barely able to focus on Magnus for a few seconds. He's gripping onto the other's shoulders with shaking arms and buries his face into his neck, kissing his collar and speaking praises in Elvish like spells to be woven in the glistening skin, affection spilling from his voice quietly.

 

Magnus isn't very far behind, spilling across Taako's stomach just a moment later, gasping and sinking his teeth into his shoulder to keep from shouting. It isn't that he suspects they'll be caught- they're in the middle of nowhere, after all. But he just wants to hear every single one of Taako's gasps and moans, he doesn't want to miss a single one. He needs to soak up every sweet sound he makes, to make up for lost time. Finally spent, he rolls over onto his side, panting for breath, pillowing his head on his bent arm and he just. _Looks_ at Taako. He looks like he's made of gold in this light, he looks. Breathtaking. He wipes away the spend on his stomach and then takes a few moments to just blissfully run his hand up and down Taako's lithe body. "Hey," he whispers, dazed, satisfied, adoring.

 

Taako hums, still trying to work out Common but he glances over to Magnus with such a serene look. The adoration and _devotion_ in the man's eyes makes his stomach flutter, the hands inviting and very much appreciated as they smooth ver hyper sensitive skin. It sooths the aftershocks of their pleasure into something softer, lingering, that makes his legs jelly and his head light. Throughout all of it it doesn't hurt, all except for the dull pain of the skin. He rolls his head towards Magnus after a moment of revelation and smiles lightly. "Hey...." he starts, finally getting his breath back, and some thought. "You're amazing, you know? Best god damn thing on this side of the planet, Maggie." In the afterglow, Taako looks so much happier, almost younger, though that's an odd concept considering he's still a young elf, but it shows just how much stress he's been under trying to find the crystal with little good result. His skin is practically glowing in the warm light, looking almost unreal to Magnus. The elf lifts up a hand to stroke through his hair, the loss of contact on the human making him ache a little.

 

They kiss and pet and paw at eachother for a few long, long minutes, until they naturally feel a closing of the moment. It isn't bittersweet, because they know this is just the first in a very long line of encounters that will render them both stupid. Magnus unearths their clothing from their belongings outside and tosses Taako's into the caravan for him to dress himself, while he sunbathes nude in the morning sunshine like a giant lion. He picks up the things they discarded the previous night, which have been frozen into pretty solid clumps on the ground, but he manages to unearth the pair of necklaces, still glowing, out of Taako's belongings, and holds them up, inspecting the backs again. As he turns over the locket with the O on it that they picked up off the corpse, there's a soft click. He turns it back over and it falls open in his palm, and inside is a teeny tiny but unmistakeable portrait of Oswin.

 

He picks up the things they discarded the previous night, which have been frozen into pretty solid clumps on the ground, but he manages to unearth the pair of necklaces, still glowing, out of Taako's belongings, and holds them up, inspecting the backs again. As he turns over the locket with the O on it that they picked up off the corpse, there's a soft click. He turns it back over and it falls open in his palm, and inside is a teeny tiny but unmistakeable portrait of Oswin.

 

"Hey uh, Taako?" he says as the elf gets dressed. "This isn't just a necklace we got off that skeleton, it's a locket. It's got Oswin's picture in it."

 

"Oh shit, you're serious? I knew it was his-- that's pretty fucking obvious with an 'O' but-- it's a locket?" Taako pokes his head out suddenly, fluffy from putting on layers upon layers of gossamer shirts and a cape, it looks like he's wearing maybe at least three shirts, the top most one a see-through deep blue. He wears pants again, but they're a slick black pair with a high waist. After all that bullshit, Taako's getting fancy. He may have to clean out the blood and mud from his hair but other than that he looks raring to go, possibly to smack a certain half-dragonborn.

 

"What's the other one, Mango? It could give us a clue who the fella was in the cave."

 

Magnus fingers the delicate latch on the other one and opens it up. "It looks like... an orc," he says, turning it around to show Taako. Sure enough, there's a tiny portrait inside of an orc with a top knot and horns along his forehead, his teeth tipped with gold. "The plot thickens," he says, handing both necklaces back to Taako. "I think it's time to get back to Neverwinter, how about you?"

 

He helps Taako down off the back of the cart, holding him by the waist again, and before he lets go to start packing up the cart again, he can't quite help himself and he bends down to steal another kiss.

 

"You look great, but. You know, just for the record. I kind of like glamourless Taako." and with that he turns around to begin picking everything up and putting it back in the cart for the trip back to Neverwinter.

 

Taako's face is certainly red as they set everything back, sputtering almost indignantly and complaining that everyone says that. He grumbles when Magnus laughs at that and agrees, and they share one more quick kiss before hopping into the front to drive the cart back. The day is pleasant out, which is a strange contrast to how it's been lately. It doesn't snow, but it's still cold out. Taako elects to share a blanket, and they take a few stops so the elf can clear his stomach, the ride upsetting his head a bit.


	11. Chapter 11

A few hours on the road, after talking and laughing and just... soaking in their company, they reach in sight of Neverwinter, and Taako's never been so grateful for the warmth before. For the two of them it's too easy to look back on the frigid water and shudder. "Hey-- cleric first to heal up or get answers?"

 

"Uh- cleric, probably," he says. Taako has been a little green around the gills for a while now, and his headache probably isn't helping. They're helped by Artemis' personal healer, a kindly old halfling who has to conjure a little flight of stairs up to a stool just to reach all of Magnus. With a clean bill of health and a hot meal, they're both feeling miles better, and they get directions from the king's men as to where they picked up Oswin.

 

His shop is about what they expected, bedecked out from end to end in shiny, pretty baubles. It's sort of reminiscent of the second story of Bits and Bobs, the way the hanging trinkets cast light all over the shop, but it's significantly tidier and more well organized. At the sound of the bell, Oswin comes out of the back of the shop through a waterfall curtain of crystal beads, carrying a glass box full of little crystaline mice enchanted to walk around and explore.

 

"Oh, it's you again!" he says with delight as he sets the box down on the front counter. "I'll admit, I didn't expect to see you again so quickly. Did you find what you were looking for?"

 

"Hey, uh, well we certainly.... found some things. I mean not to say we didn't find what we were looking for, exactly, in the way you might expect, but-- it was a bit of a wild ride I'd say," Taako rambles, dodging the question directly and flicks at a trinket lightly, not looking at either men as he tries not to admit what they found was a fake, and that Taako once again failed to find the soul crystal.

 

It was an embarrassing incident for sure, if you look over the near death experience and the elf's new closer connection with Magnus. He thought for a bit that they actually had it, though whoever was there either hexed the crystal to turn into a rat when touched, or it wasn't there in the first place. Taako's betting money on that. He takes a fancy to a particularly beautiful fancy silver necklace hanging as he moves away from the two.

 

Magnus sighs. He can't blame Taako for being too embarrassed to talk about it. "We found your necklace," he says, holding up both of them. "It was around the neck of a skeleton."

 

Oswin immediately falters, his faint smile dropping like a rock. He snatches the necklaces away from Magnus, as if offended. "You what? Impossible."

 

"No, seriously," Magnus says. "There was this skeleton up against the pedestal the crystal was on, and it was wearing this necklace. Looked like it had been there a while. There were a shit ton of traps between us and the crystal, by the way, all of which were tripped, but you didn't think to tell us about those? My guess is the poor asshole who was going to get the crystal got shot up and fucked up by so many traps on the way there that he collapsed right before he could get his hands on it."

 

Oswin, clutching both necklaces, looks devastated.

 

"The-- uh.... at least we got your necklace. I mean-- the.... crystal was trapped too. It sucked," Taako adds, frowning at the merchant's reaction before walking over to him, voice lowered in an attempt to help. Lup’s lessons kicking in. "Hey, I'm.... I'm sorry, there wasn't anything we can do, but they-- the person that had this, they were persistent. That's a sort of.... of-- bravery? That... I don't think a lot of people have," he murmurs, putting a hand on the man's back lightly. Oswin looks so heartbroken, the elf can't help but remember Magnus' own face back in the cave, when the elf woke up to the wails of his dear friend. It hurt to see that on another person's face.

 

"Wait, wait, you said the crystal was trapped?" Oswin says, still holding both necklaces. "I- I will admit, I did lay the traps from the mouth of the cave to the crystal, but that was so long ago I just- I just forgot, and that one's on me, I'm sorry. But I didn't trap the crystal itself, I just put it on the pedestal. You said it was trapped, tell me exactly how."

 

"Uh-- there was a string that--" Taako takes his hand away from the man's back and shuffles away, looking elsewhere. "It was attached to the crystal-- the whole place it-- The crystal turned into a rat and everything.... started to flood, you know?" he explains, moving back to Magnus to lean against.

 

He takes a deep breath, quelling the fear and when Magnus gives a concerned look the elf smiles reassuringly and faces Oswin, eyes still not looking at anything particularly. "I guess it was a bust anyway, so it's nothing really. We got out okay. Why do you ask how it was trapped? Does it matter?"

 

"Can you remember anything else?" Oswin is leaning very close to them now, holding both necklaces agains this chest.

 

"There was laughter?" Magnus says. "When the string snapped, the crystal turned into a rat like Taako said, and then there was laughter, and the wall broke and water poured in."

 

"Gods," Oswin puts a hand on the counter to steady himself, shaking his head. "Give me a heart attack why don't you," he mutters, and then looks back up at them. "I know where your crystal is."

 

"You do??" Taako bursts, his turn to lean in close to the dragonborn hybrid with an urgent glint in his eyes, hands on the man's shoulders even. The wizard stops and clears his throat before collecting himself, eyes still wide.

 

"Fuck, tell us, thug. Who's got it, where is it, all the details. Dont-- uh-- uhh-- skimp out, okay?" Taako doesn't remember laughter.... But he was so engrossed in the crystal that the only thing that broke it was the rat bite. Taako rubs over his thumb subconsciously to play at the sensitive skin still healing from the magic. "I'm guessing you know who it is."

 

"His name is Rembrandt," Oswin sighs. "He's a bard, and the leader of a mercenary group called Heartsung. And he must have put this stupid necklace on a corpse just to scare me," he throws the necklaces down into a pouch uncerimoniously.

 

"Friend of yours?" Magnus asks with some suspicion.

 

"You could say that," Oswin mutters.

 

Taako looks him over shrewdly and taps at his cheek, humming, "Lover?" he asks bluntly. The elf can picture them as brothers, rivals, or something close but not blood related. Interesting that a bard of all things is in charge of a gang. Taako liked him already.

 

"I wouldn't blame you, I mean bards are-- uh.... very charismatic. Hard not to be charmed by them," he adds, playing with the end of his bangs as he eyes the trinkets once more.

 

"We're _not_ lovers," Oswin says testily, slamming his hand down on the front counter. Magnus' eyebrows raise and he looks over at Taako before looking back at the disgruntled dragonborn.

 

"Anymore?" he asks, and the merchant gives a growl of frustration, turning his back and marching into the back of the shop.

 

He returns a moment later with a box and opens it up, pulling out a spyglass. "This belonged to him. I cheated it off him at cards and he never forgave me for it. We're bitter enemies, nothing more."

 

"Bitter enemies with matching lockets with portraits of eachother inside?" Magnus crosses his arms.

 

Oswin looks scandalized. "I didn't tell you to look inside the necklace, I just told you to bring it back!"

 

"It fell out on its own, homie, that part's not on us. It was your face, and the initials are a dead giveaway, let's face the facts. It looks more than just a rivalry," he teases, brushing the long locks behind a pointed ear.

 

"Besides, it's not the first time I've heard two enemies be together before. And by-the-way that is a beauuuty of a trinket my man. Is it enchanted?" Taako points to the spyglass, reaching out to inspect it with deft, curious hands.

 

Oswin yanks it away from Taako's grabbing hands. "It is, as a matter of fact," he says protectively, shoving it back inside the box and snapping it shut. "It has a very powerful clairvoyance enchantment, you can see right through walls and into people's pockets and bags with it." his cheeks are very, noticeably red. "I wanted it and he wouldn't let me have it, so I cheated it off him, because we're _enemies_."

 

"That dog isn't gonna hunt, I dunno what to tell you," Magnus says. "Are you trying to convince us of that, or yourself?"

 

Oswin's shoulders sag and he sighs, his hands resting on top of the box. "He never forgave me. I knew he would want to get back at me by stealing something valuable of mine in return, so I bought some random crystal from a goblin and made up a story about it, and put it in a cavern full of traps to shroud it in mystery. And it looks like he took the bait."

 

"Well you uh-- sure put us in a rough spot there, my fella. So your 'enemy' has it instead? Is that was you're suggesting?" Taako asks, a little put off by the snatchy hands and folds them. "Look, Taako had a bad day yesterday, I think it's only fair we get some pay for risking our lives back there getting your love-- your locket. More pay than what you offered, at least. If we run into the guy we can relay a message to him. I can turn his clothes into meat or something to get back at him," the elf suggests, a little huffy.

 

"Don't you think that's fair, bubuleh?" Taako turns to Magnus for confirmation, a small smile slipping just a little bit purely at the sight of his friend. But it turns more interested, more shrewd than before when he turns to Oswin

 

"You want more?" Oswin sounds affronted. "If anything I think you should get less for snooping into my belongings!"

 

"Hey, it was an accident," Magnus defends. "Look, we almost died, okay? Your stupid enemy put up such a nasty trap that we nearly drowned to death- Taako almost- he- I had to-" he can't even bring himself to recall what happened out loud. "It seems like that trap was for you, given everything you've said, so I agree with Taako, I think we should get more to pay for us taking the hit of that big ass trap for you."

 

"He's not stupid," Oswin says without thinking and then sighs, looking away. "Fine. I'll tell you where he is, and I'll pay you extra, on one condition."

 

Magnus sighs. "What."

 

Oswin doesn't meet their eyes when he says, "When you find him and get your crystal back, I want you to kill him."

 

"Well alright I guess, I mean Lup might get mad at me for killing some dude when I'm not in a life or death situation, but I can work around it. Since we got your locket and, you know, practically saved you the trouble of pretty much fucking dyi-- uh, of the trap, I think we'll be having that payment now and we'll go murder his ass." He flinches at the word dying and quickly changes it, not wanting to think about it really.

 

Taako takes a deep breath, pinching the bridge of his nose and refers to Magnus in his next breath. "Quick question though because I'm starting to see a long, long, repeating pattern here. What if your homeboy doesn't have the crystal we need? It'd be pretty pointless to kill him if for you if he happened to have pawned it off somewhere or fucking chucked it in a well. Oh wait that's my relic....." The last part was more to himself.

 

"Whatever he's done with the crystal isn't my problem," Oswin says irritably. "I'll give you 500 gold now to go find him and when you bring his head back to me I'll give you 500 more. Whether he has your crystal or not, that's my final offer."

 

Magnus looks uncomfortable, to say the least, brow furrowed deeply and arms crossed. He glances between Oswin and Taako and shakes his head with a sigh. "Yeah, fine," he says. "Sure. We'll kill your ex."

 

"Excellent," Oswin sneers, and fishes out a bag of gold, setting it on the counter for them. "If you want a tip of an extra hundred when you get back, one of you give him a kiss on the mouth and let him know it's from me right before you deliver the killing blow."

 

"Alright, no problem. Little weird, but alright. Deal." Taako takes up the bag and starts counting to give himself something to occupy his attention with. The subject of exes and death is something he's not wanting to think about at the current moment. That's way too much baggage to think about for Taako. He nods to Oswin and salutes.

 

"You want a kiss too or--" he snickers when Magnus gives an affronted look at that and pats the fighter's chest lightly. "Alright, tell us where to go, Oswin. You really like your theatrics, but I'm getting sick of asking for details for the third time. Where is he?"

 

Oswin draws them up a map for a town in the middle of the southern jungle, more than a four day's ride away. It's a long, long way to go, but at this point, Magnus is just as determined for them to find this crystal as Taako. They roll up the map and leave Oswin's shop, and when Magnus looks back through the window just before leaving, he sees the dragonborn with his back up against the front counter, with his face in his hands.

 

"Can I just say one thing," Magnus says as they start back down the road. "No way in hell are we killing that guy."

 

"I figured you'd say that. I mean. Sure he was a dickwad, probably, but I'm not interested in just killing a random dude for the pretty horned homie in there. Plus Lup would yell at me because she'll know and I'm not ready to face that wrath." They make their way down with the elf draping over Magnus' arm, leaning a cheek against the bicep lightly.

 

"What, do you just not want to kiss the dude, is that it?" he teases, prodding the larger man with a grin that might be too wide for Taako's own good. "I mean it's a weird ass request to ask of a celebrity, you know?"

 

"No," Magnus says immediately, but follows it with, "I mean, that's part of it, because that was definitely weird, but- no, I mean because- well these two have some serious stink with eachother and I think- well I mean- I just." he sighs. "I don't want to be a part of their feud. If anything I'd want to try and get them to just fucking talk to eachother or something. I couldn't imagine getting so angry at a lover that I'd try to send someone to kill them. It's just sad, Taako, it. It makes my heart hurt and I refuse to participate."

 

"Well.... to be honest I can kind of see it. They must have really loved each other. You have to, to be able to hate them this much-- Not-- uh. Not to say I have ever-- Well--" Taako stammers, shaking his head quickly. It makes his hair swish behind him.

 

"Anyway, the point is that it takes longer than a conversation to-- help with that kind of shit. Sometimes it's hard to reconcile or look past a certain thing that broke your trust. That kind of stuff." Taako squeezes around Magnus for a moment to help him, eyes cast down.

 

"Yeah I don't want to deal with his baggage, honestly, but what can you do, huh?" he trails off, resting his head against Magnus' shoulder. "I mean I feel for the guy but I'm with you. No killing."

 

"No killing," Magnus repeats with a nod. "But also uh maybe- maybe let's not immediately run after it? I dunno about you but I'm. Kind of tired of adventure, at least for today. I think the driver's seat of that cart has a perfect impression of my butt in it by now. Can we just- I mean- you and I- we just- we just," he clears his throat. "You know? I just. Kind of want to enjoy that."

 

"I see what you mean, darling. We can.... we can take the time. I mean-- Of course." Taako shifts closer to Magnus with a soft smile, placing a hand over the large chest, just over his heart. He tries to look up at the human but finds he can't just yet, and instead simply kisses his cheek. "I'd really like to spend some time with you, Mags. I sort of don't mind anything, even if we just sleep or-- or go out to have dinner, or if we decide to have some more fun," Taako hums, sliding the hand down a little to spread his fingers over Magnus' chest, though it doesn't cover any of it.

 

"Uh," Magnus starts, but it catches in his throat and bubbles into a wheeze. He clears his throat, his ears are pink. "Uh, I mean, yeah, any number of those things honestly, maybe all of them- not in that order, necessarily, uh. We've got a lot to talk about. Lunch?"

 

It's still going to be a process for him, turns out. Despite their intimacy in the caravan, that didn’t happen to magic away all of his anxiety. Not surprising, but still a bummer. He fights the urge to push Taako away- not because he doesn't want him close, but because of the guilt over the fact that he _very very badly_ wants him close. It's been almost ten years, he reminds himself as Taako looks up at him, and on top of that, he's pretty sure that Julia would be pissed at him if he ignored her pretty blatant approval by trying to write it off as a coincidence.

 

Taako leads him to a popular restaurant that he swears has the, 'best god damn cheddar rolls you will ever put in your mouth,' and proceeds to drag him, excited about the cuisine they serve, talking about incorporating some substitutes for some dishes with dairy for Barry, or adding a little more spice for Lup, he even adds that there's a good homey pot roast they have that would interest Magnus.

 

When they go inside it's evident that it's a very rustic, cute place. There are antiques littering the walls up high, enchanted to be stuck on and unstealable. They get a place in the quieter section of the joint and order. Taako gets himself a pot pie, going surprisingly simple for having hyped up the menu to Magnus.

 

Magnus orders the pot roast he'd been recommended and then cautiously reaches across the table to rest his hand on Taako's. He takes a deep breath and relaxes his shoulders. "So... we have feelings for eachother, and. Uh.” he clears his throat and gestures between them. “That's been pretty clearly established. I guess the next question is... what that means? I know my answer, but. I want to hear yours, first."

 

"Well-- uh...." Taako's ears pull back uncertainly, a look of fear flashing across his face for just a moment, but he blinks it away and shifts so he's taking Mangus' hand, intertwining their fingers together with a soft nervous chuckle.

 

"Uh-- to tell you the truth, I'm not sure how to answer that. I've.... I've made it pretty clear-- I hope, that I want to.... be with you. To wake up and.... there you are. It'll definitely be a bit to getting used to that if-- if uh... you know... But I'm game as long as you are. I'd be... okay with waiting if you need time. Not to say I don't want to. That's not it at all. I'm not? Sure if I'm answering this right but.... That's what I've.... been thinking of...? If I fucked this up I'm going to banish myself I swear..." he groans and covers his eyes in embarrassment, wanting to sink into the booth seat.

 

"Wh-- uh... what about you, Magnus? What's your say in-- uh-- uh, all this?" Taako peeks through his fingers to look at the human, because how could he not? His stomach is in knots from the instant fear of rejection he's initially prepared for, but squeezing Magnus' hand helps ease it.

 

"Well... after Julia died, I basically vowed to myself that I was never going to let myself be with anyone again, because... I guess I thought I had to punish myself for what happened," Magnus admits softly, staring down at their hands. "And I still want to make reparations, but. I think there are. Better ways to do that than to force myself to be alone and unhappy forever? Like- I want to go back to Raven's Roost after all this, finish cleaning it up, make it a place where people can live again. As long as you and Merle go after the uh- the guy." he shakes his head, still frustrated that he'd agreed to take that sacrifice back in Wonderland. He sighs. "I just... I don't know. I still feel like letting myself love again feels like a betrayal, but. In some ways I feel like it was you I betrayed first by forgetting you and marrying Julia. It's a big. Angst circle."

 

"I know... what you mean. But... I mean... I don't feel replaced or that... you love me any less, you know? Plus none of that was your fault the... forgetting. Just... know that whatever you want, I'll support it, 'kay, Maggie? I-- Mm..." Taako's face goes red right then. Those three words almost slipped so easily from his lips, the same words that he spoke when him and Magnus were going to die.

 

Taako laughs and looks up at Magnus, hand still partially hiding his eyes. "I love you, you know? I'll do anything for you-- well besides do your laundry because you're fucking gross and live in the same three shirts but other than that? Yeah. Pretty much anything.... So. Don't feel bad if you need to step back just a bit for a while. I'll survive."

 

"Aw, man, but laundry was a big thing on my list of demands from a significant other," Magnus ducks his head with a chuckle, and he squeezes Taako's hand. "I think... I want to try. For right now. Once this adventure is over, I need to go back to Raven's Roost, and I don't expect you to come with me, it's going to be a long process picking that place up out of the dust, and you've got Kravitz and your sister to spend time with, not to mention your school to maintain. I think the time home with my thoughts will be good for getting the rest of the dust cleared out of my attic, if you know what I mean. Get all my thoughts sorted out."

 

"Yeah, I getcha. I think that's-- yeah. Good idea. We-- do you want to do this officially? Or just play it by ear and uh. All that-- you know Kravitz is literally the Grim Reaper, right? I mean he can probably help," Taako exclaims, though not loudly enough for others to look at the elf. He moves one hand around as he speaks and only stops when the waiter asks how they're doing.

 

"What I'm trying to say is that you can take all the time you need, but you've got sources, homie. You're not alone, you know that?" He smiles at Magnus and squeezes their hands, finally breaking his reverie to try out the pot pie, humming in approval at the taste. "Hachi machi, I need to make this at home.... Anyway. Yeah I got everything back home but I'm literally in this adventure with you away from it. Am I going to get heckled for it when we finally get the crystal? Well natch, but if it's with someone who matters on this planet, I can do it for a while longer. So you don't go into hermit mode too soon."

 

With a hot meal in them and a good long rest, they’re feeling revitalized and just so, so happy to be alive. They take a walk around the city just to see the sights, walking hand in hand like a real couple. At one point in passing, Magnus sees the old couple who had originally told him to run after Taako, and he wonders where he would be right now if they hadn’t broken his spell of shock and sent him chasing after Taako.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is a VERY EXPLICIT chapter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The city is so unbelievably gorgeous this time of year. The snow that drifts down gives everything just a fine dusting, the only thing the unseasonably warm city will hold before it begins to melt, making everything look powdery and surreal. As much as Magnus would love enough snow to make some snow angels in or strike up an impromptu snowball fight, he’s grateful for the mild weather.

 

They drift in and out of a few stores, just to find things to spend the coin Oswin had given them on. Magnus buys Taako a new bauble for his hat and affixes it to the band, where it dangles and sparkles in the light, and Taako buys him a little jar of salve perfect for taking care of dry, cracked knuckles. Magnus resists the urge to blow all their coin just lavishing Taako in gifts- everything in moderation. Plus, he’d like to take the time to really _make_ something for him, something useful and lasting with a lot of love put into every grain.

 

Mostly though, they just enjoy eachother’s company. Taako uses a cantrip to keep their hands warm where they’re intertwined between them, and for the most part, they just enjoy walking around side by side and people watching. Everyone seems to have the same idea, there are people everywhere, walking down and winding through the streets, enjoying the beautiful day and taking in the sights. It feels surreal, to be having such a good day after the hellish night they had last night, where they both came so close to death. But the world doesn’t stop for anybody. They should know that better than anyone else.

 

The crowd gets to be a bit much for the elf and Magnus takes him to the side to just hug and hold for a little while, starting to loop back around leisurely to the suite, and even with the chatter it's comfortably quiet. It's especially so having Taako pressing against the human's chest like one would a stuffed animal.

 

They skirt the edges just window shopping in the plaza and start to get near the taverns and bars, the places with higher classed establishments and even enchanted entertainment, lights that are conjured and games designed for remote use, or for everyone to watch as people partake. Taako suggests going for a drink soon after just to top off the evening before they retire in private just to.... revel in each other's company for a while and hold each other, possibly touch bases with what happened and what they should do.

 

Magnus is definitely on board, he and Taako scope out their options until they settle on a pretty dimly lit place with rustic charm that smells like cigar smoke and leather, lit only by candles. It’s a pretty standard tavern, but with one big defining feature- a giant bull-shaped contraption set up in the middle of a soft cloth pit on a pike.

 

“What do you think _that_ thing is?” he asks as they take a seat at the bar and order two bottles of redcheek hard cider.

 

The question is answered for them when a slightly tipsy man hops over the fence into the cloth pit and climbs drunkenly up onto the bull. A man operating some kind of magical switchboard starts to move the bull around rapidly, swinging and rocking it around in a wild circle, throwing off the laughing man in a matter of seconds.

 

The display absolutely _delights_ Taako as the two watch from their seats, seeing another contestant-- this time a lithe tiefling woman that tries it, and they watch a few more try it out, all with resounding laughter coming from them both, the elf clapping joyously.

 

"You see these fools? We could crush 'em at that easy peasy. I think if you tried you'd break the thing-- oh shit Mags you should do it," Taako urges, whipping to face the fighter with eyes wide. He's jazzed up after watching a few good tries, but the fighter on the bull sounds amazing, and potentially hilarious.

 

"Think you can use your animal handling proficiency or something? I mean it's also sort of a vehicle too-- you'd own it." He pats Magnus' arm repeatedly, harmless and excited as he takes another sip of the cider. A couple patrons overhear and cheer on for Magnus.

 

No sooner had Taako said ‘mags’ than Magnus was already stripping off his shirt. Why? No fucking reason, it just felt appropriate. He vaults over the fence on one hand, bouncing slightly in the soft pit as he approaches the bull. He hops up onto the beast and squeezes his thighs on either side, grabbing hold of the leather handle with one hand like everyone else did.

 

The bull immediately begins to whip around, the operator trying to throw Magnus quickly for his confidence. But he wasn’t prepared for Magnus’ dual proficiencies. He throws his weight around with the mechanical beast, one hand thrown in the air to the sound of the screaming patrons around him. He’s warm from the lights and the cider, grinning from ear to ear and holding on for dear life.

 

Shining with sweat in the lights, his muscles flex to keep him upright, all his years of riding mounts both willing and unwilling giving him the skills to stay upright. Granted, he usually has two hands to ride with, so this is more than a challenge than usual. But the cheering of the crowd gives him the confidence to roll his body with the motion of the machine.

 

The absolute fluidity and strength behind the control of balance makes Taako's jaw drop for just a moment, before setting his drink down and moving closer to the pit to watch one Magnus Burnsides sway and stutter and flex under the warm lights illuminating everything, grinning from ear to ear.

 

The bull dips low which makes Magnus have to lean back, the song playing loud, raucous, and silly. The crowd cries out and cheers the longer Magnus holds on and rolls his hips to keep upright. Taako is hollering right with him and hops up along with the song, hair bouncing. As the bull turns abruptly in a more urgent effort to get the fighter off, the person working the bull moves with the music slightly and jerks and stutters the bull just so.

 

Magnus is finally unseated in dramatic fashion, flinging him around in a huge circle and he topples off sideways, crashing into the soft wall around the pit with a resounding THUMP. He accepts the help from two girls, taking one of their hands in either of his to help him climb back over the fence out of the pit, his muscles trembling slightly from exertion.

 

They hang very close to him, blocking him from getting back over to Taako, asking him questions about where he learned to ride like that, where he’s from and other random questions while playing with their hair flirtily. He answers their questions politely because he doesn’t want to be rude, but he’s glancing helplessly over their heads in Taako’s direction.

 

Something like anger flickers and Taako pulls back his lips in almost a sneer, walking over soon after they start to lean up against him and smile prettily. That's _his_ Magnus. He workeed way too hard and waiteed way too long to call Magnus his, and Taako will be damned to be shown up by them. He storms over, boots clicking though it's drowned out by the music and the look on Magnus' face of relief and worry as the elf approaches is almost too cute to pass up.

 

The lean elf takes the girls' shoulders and lightly moves past them with an air of sureness he's got the right to have, moving up to plant a very riled up, energized kiss on Magnus' lips.

 

Their lips only connect for a few short seconds with a hand over the human's broad chest, admiring the glowing sheen before turning to the girls. "Hey thanks for helping him out, darlings," he turns to the girls with a salute and rotates back to Magnus with a wink. "My turn."

 

Without hesitation and with such an air of confidence it was like he was _born_ for this activity, Taako gets on the mechanical bull, taking his sweater off to show the skin tight shirt underneath, and lightly tosses it to Magnus. He cues the worker to start it and suddenly the music pops, and the bull whirrs to life, accenting Taako's hips and making the long hair flutter around him.

 

He's in his natural environment, thriving off the cheers of the crowd and the loud beat of the heady music, the bull stuttering so it makes the elf's hips bounce up and down quickly, which he accents by throwing his head back and brushing through the soft silky locks. It's absolutely over the top and shameless. The lights shine on him and it makes his skin glitter and his long legs highlight against the soft hide of the fake animal.

 

Taako is throwing out kisses, gyrating his hips, giving Magnus a few heavy glances and it's evident that the wizard is enjoying himself so fully, expertly holding on with just his legs, with his still impeccable sense of balance. It's like a choreographed scene but it's all random, Taako just accomodates and adapts, and moves slow when the bull dips down so it looks sensual, it looks dirty, and so many of the patrons are leaning in, hollering, catcalling, watching _Taako_.

 

Magnus, instantly, is under Taako's spell. Everyone is, but Magnus can barely even _breathe_. Taako isn't even holding on with his hands, he just body rolls back when the bull swings down and straightens his legs forward when the bull tips back. He looks like a lateral extension of the bull, snapping his head around and hitting every beat like he was made for it.

 

He grips the edge of the ring, watching in absolute awe as Taako swings his body with the bull, his hair moving like a white curtain around him, thrown up into the air and swinging around with every swift rotation of the bull on its pike. Magnus' pulse is pounding in time with the music, eyes wide open, the entire universe narrowing down to the exact size and shape of Taako's _thighs_.

 

After a long moment of simply being swung around, fingers flaring out his hair and sliding hands down his torso, he makes the person with the remote pause for a moment, noticing everyone's enraptured looks, Magnus' expression, which makes him feel extra confident and sexy.

 

There's a moment where it looks like he's going to get off but it's evident that's not at all what Taako's going to do. No, he's not done quite yet. Swiftly, the elf changes position so he's backwards on the bull, pulling back his hair with a sway from his middle at the beat still hitting hard through his body, synching with the music perfect before the bull goes again.

 

Taako has to extend his legs up to keep balanced now, instead of bowing his back. The whole thing swivels Taako around so the bull's head is facing directly at Magnus, showing a perfect view of Taako's ass as he tilts his hips with the sway and jerks of the motion, imitating quite the suggestive position. Before the bull has the chance to throw the wizard around again Taako gathers up his hair and looks over his shoulder directly at Magnus, a playful smile on his lips.

 

Lifted up suddenly so he's elevated, Taako takes advantage and drops his hair, free from the braid as it descends and the near silver-looking locks are like a halo fluttering around the elf. He looks lost in the music and sways his head as the music reaches its climax.

 

Somewhere, somehow, along the way, Magnus forgot how _beautiful_ Taako is. It isn't that it ever stopped being true, but at some point he'd spent so much time looking at Taako that he just started to look like Taako. But seeing him like this makes him take a step back out of his own mind and look at Taako like a stranger would, seeing him for the first time, sensual and confident and so fucking _powerful_.

 

He dumbly pulls his shirt on without taking his eyes off of Taako, his expression enraptured, worshipful, as he remembers all at once that _sex_ is a _thing_ , and it's a thing he wants very, very badly for the first time in a very, very long time. He doesn't want to make love, he wants to take Taako somewhere private and _fuck him_.

 

With his mouth dry, Taako gracefully dismounts as the song ends, and Magnus doesn't even give him time to grab onto the edge of the pit to haul himself up. He picks him up by the waist and immediately throws him over his shoulder, much to the cheers of the ecstatic crowd, which parts like water as Magnus carries Taako towards the door.

 

Taako calls out and throws out kisses to his adoring crowd as he's toted away from the tavern with a slightly tipsy look on his face, absolutely loving it and breathless, a cool sheen across his whole body. Once they exit the tavern Taako turns his attention to his captor and lifts his boots up, toes pointing down to the ground.

 

"Holt shit-- Magnus-- What are you doing?" he asks, trying to catch his breath with heart pounding and arms steadily holding against the human's back to keep balanced. The rough exit made his stomach spike with something he cares little to name, absolutely buzzing with energy from the bull ride.

 

Magnus sets Taako down on his feet pretty immediately once they get outside. The statement of carrying him out had been made, but he didn't intend to humiliate the elf all the way back to their suite- which luckily was only about a block and a half away. He does, however, keep a strong hold on Taako's hand as he briskly walks down the streets, expertly weaving through pedestrian traffic.

 

"We gotta go home- back- the room," he says ineloquently.

 

"You want to be my bull," Taako states, voice lacing with lust at the full realization of what's going to happen, and moves closer to Magnus as they rush to the suite as quickly as they can, the elf holding onto the other's arm securely. They get to the king's estate in little time, the elf's hands wandering over not even a second after they enter the building, rushing to the elevator without much thought on his aversion. He needs to kiss Magnus _now_ after that display. And it'll keep them moving.

 

The tavern was exhilirating, adrenaline and arousal quick in his blood and coarsing through him, leaving shaky limbs and a glow about the elf. They briefly kiss in the elevator as they go in and Magnus grips onto Taako securely, pushing flush and it jumpstarts something low in their abdomens.

 

They barely make it to the room in time before Taako reaches up to kiss Magnus once more and wraps thin arms around the fighter's neck. They can't keep their hands off each other, hands in hair and mouths magnetized.

 

Magnus barely takes the time to kick the door shut with one foot without looking, without breaking the kiss for even an instant. His hands are frantic, sliding up Taako's body, untying the knot at the base of his plunging, backless top and yanking it down off his arms. No sooner does it hit the floor than Magnus has Taako by the thighs, lifting him up and carrying him through the foyer, past the little sitting room, and drops Taako down onto the giant bed.

 

He crawls out on top of him, desperately hungry, and slides his hands up Taako's slightly sweaty chest to cup either side of his neck as he goes in for another deep, tongue-sucking kiss. He's miles different from the tender man who had sweetly made love to him that morning, now Magnus is like a wild animal, already between Taako's legs and grinding down against him hard and fast.

 

It leaves Taako's mind absolutely blank in shock and pleasure, the primal way Magnus holds him alone making the elf moan into the kiss and latches on tight until he's dropped. Going in tangent, their tongues slide against each other's so easily it puts up another mind-numbingly intense flare of lust blossom in his abdomen.

 

Taako's half hard cock starts to stand to attention, the friction ripping out a long drawn mewl of pleasure. This is far from Magnus' usual softness, and it's a side Taako is also very much into. It's feral, it reminds him of the kiss they shared days ago after their impromptu bandit fight in the middle of the night. He slides his hands down Magnus' shoulders and thrusts up best he can, to catch up, but Magnus is pressing into Taako's hips with such a feverish pace that the elf can do nothing but reflexively buck up as they press closer to each other, sweat slipping their bodies together and trapping their arousals inbetween them.

 

"Maggie--" Taako tries, barely coherent as he paws to get the loose shirt off of the human, to hold onto his biceps and drape his arms over his back, anything to anchor on to, breath heavy from kissing and moving and thrusting.

 

Magnus leans up in order to pull his shirt off, reaching over his head to yank it off, and he flings it aside. Instead of immediately leaning back down for another kiss, he rakes his hand through his hair, pushing it off his forehead and he rolls his body like how they moved on the bull, grinding his hips into Taako's, tight and hard so the elf can feel his cock through his pants.

 

"You were gorgeous up there," he says, his voice rough and reedy as he tugs open the skinny belt at the top of Taako's high waisted pants and starts to undo the long row of buttons. "Makes me want to fucking eat you."

 

He tugs those pants down Taako's long legs over his boots, and throws them to the side and at last, the elf is naked under him save for those pretty heels. He's still wearing pants but that doesn't matter for now, all he wants to do is get his hands on Taako. He wraps his hand roughly around Taako's cock and tugs him with purpose as he bends down to steal his mouth in another biting, bruising kiss.

 

"Fuck-- Holy shit, Magnus," he breathes, breath hitching initially before his lips are stolen. There's a muffled moan in his throat, writhing under the human with fervor. Fuck, Magnus looks so delectable he can watch the fighter all night, but that fantasy, snuffed out, is replaced with wordless, imageless pleasure with the harsh pumps along his length.

 

Long legs wrap around Magnus, the heels clicking together lightly. His hips angle up, arching his back as they drink each other in. Taako's cock twitches at every other slide of the rough hand, and there's something so raw and arousing about the harsh pace. Once they pause to catch their breaths, Taako gasps loudly, a thumb brushing over the slit of his cock and exhales sharply-- he can't control his own voice, it's barely there and so full of want.

 

"I need you right now. Please-- tell me how I made you feel," he continues, desperately, before he loses the ability to speak past all the obscene noises spilling from plump lips. The elf's toes curl in the heeled boots, and the long, smooth legs start to tremble.

 

"Fuck- you're gonna make me _talk?"_ Magnus' laugh is mostly a growl as he spits into his hand and rubs his fingers in it, lowering one to press inside Taako without preamble. His fingers aren't small or shy, digging inside Taako just the way he knew Taako wanted. He could read the bite of his lip like poetry. "I wanted to bend you over that bull," he says, twisting his hands at the wrist, around Taako's cock and inside him, alternating directions and pressures.

 

"Make you bite that leather saddle and hold on with no hands, make your thighs work to keep your balance while I fucked you in that pit," he isn't even paying attention to what he's saying- he probably would have convince himself not to say it if he was. Taako is squirming and drenched with sweat, writhing and sobbing and overwhelmed already in just a matter of seconds.

 

"You made me feel like a violent man," he continues roughly, the springs under them squeaking slightly with the force of Magnus' hand as he scissors a second finger into Taako and spreads him open. "Like the kind of man who could pick you up by the neck and throw you down on your belly and hold you there with my boot 'till you _thanked me."_

 

Taako's heartbeat picks up and he can feel his whole body flush. Magnus is not very gentle, and it keeps striking Taako's core like guitar strings being pulled taught and then slapped onto the board, the resounding sound his moans and gasps of breath he suddenly needs more than anything. The intense atmosphere almost suffocating, suddenly. He isn't used to this, but it's the hottest thing he's ever heard. Arms tremble when he feels large fingers stretch him and exhales sharply.

 

"What if-- Fuck, Maggie you'd do that?" he just wants Magnus to speak more, tilting his hips ever so slightly to try to get the human to delve deeper and brush over his prostate. But at the same time he'd burst if Magnus did that. This is so much yet not enough at the same time and he's bucking his hips desperately, the velvet back of the heeled boots lightly digging into the other's lower back. Taako's eyes are blown with arousal, almost completely black and he can't seem to focus them too well.

 

"If you wanted me to," Magnus says, roughly opening Taako up, twisting and spreading his fingers inside the squirming, desperate elf. "I'd do anything you want me to," he continues, jerking Taako's cock hard, watching the lines of his body carefully, waiting to watch him start to tense up with an incoming climax.

 

"I'd hold you down by the neck if you wanted me to," he says, panting, voice rough. "Choke you to the edge of passing out and then slap you awake. I'd make you fuck the sole of my boot if you wanted it, I'd put handprints on your thighs, bruise your throat until people asked questions."

 

As he talks he thrusts his fingers deeper, thrusting a third finger inside Taako's sloppy, open rim, corkscrewing them in and out, forward and back, rough and nasty and _deep_. It's remarkable, watching what Magnus is truly capable of, when just this morning he was holding back all of this raw power to touch Taako so sweetly. It really puts into perspective for Taako how easily Magnus could kill him in the blink of an eye at any moment, and how deeply he trusts the human to touch him kindly only.

 

Well. Maybe not _only_.

 

Taako's tastes are a bit dangerous, but he's used to that. He's absolutely shivering now in pleasure and he stifles a long, needy moan with a hand, trying to listen as much as he can, the words are addictive, and Taako is stunned he's nodding along with all of this, letting it affect him so deeply he feels the rapid climb of an orgasm taking place, tilting his head back sharply.

 

"Please-- fuck, all of that. Just don't stop. You fu-- nng-- fucking better choke me out and bruise m-mm..." he trails off, erupting in almost a wail once another rise of pleasure threatens to make him spill over, tensing up and gasping, hitching, breath growing shorter and shorter as he prepares and clenches around those brutal fingers, loving every single moment of this charged mood.

 

Magnus doesn't want Taako to finish too quickly, so he closes his hand hard around the base of his cock, hoping to stave off his orgasm. Unfortunately, it doesn't _completely_ work. Taako still crests over that hill in a major fashion, arching and shouting so loud, Lord Sterling himself can probably hear him, but the tight hand around the base of his now purple cock keeps him from spending, and keeps him from flagging.

 

Still desperately erect and _desperately_ horny, Taako is left both boneless and unsatisfied as Magnus pulls his fingers out of him, leaving him clenching and empty.

 

His cock aches and throbs from the denied orgasm, writing slightly under Magnus with a whimper, trying so desperately to get that contact, but his limbs just won't work. Magnus looks him over with such a hunger it makes the elf heat up even more. He could light the bed on fire he felt so hot.

 

Taako almost sobs as he reaches to finish, to get to that satisfaction and there's confusion written all over his face, alongside excitement. This is suddenly so new. Usually that terrified him, but this unexpected, feral side of Magnus is something he wants to drink in and remember. Vocal chords fail to work as the pulses of harsh pleasure course through him.

 

"Mags, why did you-- how did you?" he's at a loss for words. Taako wasn't even aware that it was possible to stop someone from coming.

 

"Not done with you," Magnus explains, and then finally opens his pants. Taako hadn't really gotten a chance to look at him this morning, they'd been pretty well sandwiched together, and while he's seen Magnus' cock before, it had been so long that seeing it again now is like a religious experience. Thick and uncut and too big to stand up, it flops over his thigh as soon as it springs out of his pants.

 

He gives himself a couple cursory strokes and then quickly snaps his fingers a couple times until Taako gets the idea and casts a simple lubricating cantrip to slick his cock. He presses one hand down over Taako's collarbone, the pad of his thumb resting in the hollow of the elf's throat, and with his other hand he guides his cock to Taako's entrance and pushes inside. It's all one hard, smooth glide, Taako's rim opening up, soft and willing as Magnus fills him in a familiar way that Taako is relearning all over again.

 

It makes his head lull to the side just being _so full_ now after so long. He has a hand over his mouth with a low groan, spreading long legs willingly and so quickly if he was even a little more coherent might be embarrassed of. Taako doesn't submit. Except for right now. Right now? There's a beautiful beast of a man pinning the elf down as he slides in, the possessive and charged look making Taako's poor cock twitch as it stands up in rapt attention.

 

" _Fuck_ ," he cries, trying to pull in Magnus even faster with those heels. It's not enough. Taako needs more, his mind reels with possibilities and just. Magnus. Beautiful, dangerous Magnus. He lays openly, desperately, nonverbally begging Magnus to be rough, to let everything out. His breath is labored and forehead glistening with sweat from the stretch but it's so delicious and worth it for later. It makes the wizard sob almost he's begging for relief, ears limp against a golden halo around the elf's head.

 

Magnus takes the hint without question. He bends over Taako, one hand still braced on his chest, and with the other he grabs the headboard of the bed, and once he has his leverage, he takes Taako _apart_.

 

His thrusts are fast right from the start, his head ducked and face scrunched with pleasure, sweat beading and dripping off his nose, landing on Taako's forehead where he's bent out over him, fucking him within an inch of his life. The bed rocks, bangs against the wall, sounding out the percussion of their animalistic fucking with a resounding _bang-bang-bang-bang_.

 

"Forgot how much you like it rough," Magnus grits out through clenched teeth, their skin slapping together in time with the thumping of the bedframe on the wall. "Gonna put marks on you, let everyone know you're mine."

 

The growled out words cause a spark to ignite in Taakos head, body falling apart at the seams with loud cries, animalistic. He remembers the first cycle, how he took it upon himself to adopt animal behavior, so he can learn the animal language and become close.

 

Magnus had teased him about wanting to be an animal, and how part of it extended to even wanting to mate like one. Primal and rough and dirty. It comes in vivid flashes, how Magnus had fucked him over a fallen tree so hard Taako had to hold onto the branches to keep in place, how often they had ended up in that position, with Magnus dominating Taako like a bitch in heat and the elf _loved_ it.

 

It's profound how he had forgotten, how familiar the ache is deep within him that only Magnus could reach and satiate and fully wreck the elf. Bowed and arched pretty even when bruises appear and press bone deep into Taako with a delicious throb that makes him shiver for hours after a session just looking at the marks, feeling them, making them ache again to get a phantom of that feeling again.

 

"Please, yes," he manages to breathe out, answering Magnus like a prayer as his head hits the board only slightly, bouncing so hard it makes his cries hiccup and cut off each time he calls out in pleasure. Just like an animal.

 

Magnus remembers it too, perhaps more in colors and sensations than fully formed memories, how he would destroy Taako during that first year, when he was young and cocky and unstoppable and full of grief he had to pound into _something_ just to get it out of his body before it poisoned him. Taako was such a good sponge back then.

 

This isn't that, but it also sort of is. There's an underlying tenderness now, something sweet hidden just off the edge out of sight, referreeing from the sidelines as Magnus fucks Taako brainless. His own stomach clenches with pleasure as he stares down at the elf with his teeth open in a panting, wordless snarl, his cock squeezed with every rush, with every piston of his hips, with every harsh grunt and growl and with every kittenish yowl he fucks out of Taako.

 

 _God_ he missed this. He presses his thumb down over Taako's throat, his knuckles going white on the headboard as he reminds them both just what they're capable of. It's so easy to get complacent about what their bodies can accomplish, after spending so many years in one place, with no threat looming overhead to keep them sharp and brutal. Magnus has gone soft around the edges and Taako forgot how to let himself go- but this. This is putting them both back into sharp focus, their claws dug into one another and drawing blood as they rut like wild beasts.

 

Slowly the moans and gasps of breath start to wheeze, the pressure making him writhe as much as he can under the brutal force of Magnus' cock fucking Taako senseless. The edges of his vision blur, oxygen trying desperately to get in and it sends a shock of panic-- it blossoms into a low pleasure that makes his head light and blank slowly.

 

Magnus, looming over Taako with such a presence it demands respect, is beautiful, and wild. The elf always remembered that somewhere, it's attractive and intoxicating watching the flex of abs piston into him. A hand is loosely covering the elf's mouth, trying to soften the wails ripped out of him like frothing bubbles at the surface of boiling water that grows in Taako's abdomen. He's quickly reaching his peak and all thought stops at once, purely focused on trying to reach that blissful burst of intensity and Magnus' hold on his throat, hoping there'll be bruises.

 

His throat is released and he gasps for air, choking and coughing on it as his wrists are captured in one big hand and pinned over his head. There's nothing stopping him from crying out now, and cry he does as Magnus shifts the angle of his hips and piledrives the elf's prostate without relief.

 

When Taako comes, Magnus doesn't stop. He kicks into high gear, pounding him right through the waves, prolonging the orgasm mercilessly, doubling it back over itself, amplifying it like ripples bouncing off the edge and crashing back into itself as his spend jets over his body hard enough to take out an eye. Magnus growls in pleasure as he watches Taako fall apart into pieces under him, writhing and helpless under the onslaught of bliss so intense it's almost painful.

 

His orgasm perhaps has less fanfare, with gritted teeth and growls and flared nostrils, his head bowed low as he leans his weight on Taako, bearing down and snapping his hips into him, releasing inside in a low, hot tide.

 

Taako's back arches weakly and whimpers, having been spent finally and after the pulses from his post-orgasm Taako is limb under the human, clenching around the cock still imbedded inside him. Taako's breath, labored, starts to catch up. He's a hot mess; hair plastered to flushed cheeks and eyes heavy and dark. There's an indent from Magnus' hold on the elf's neck, looking very nice on his sweat-slicked skin.

 

Taako's barely there, but he squeezes slim thighs around the fighter's hips to keep him in place. It's partially a panic induced need to feel full, but he's melted into the warmth so much he doesn't want it to be over. Taako blinks up to him and smiles for the first time since the tavern, voice hoarse and quiet, still a little high pitched as he utters something in grunts, somewhere in his brain having switched to the animal language for a moment. He pauses a moment and blinks before flushing, realizing he's stuck.

 

Magnus floats for a few moments on his high, just relaxing into it, enjoying the feeling of his afterglow with his head bowed and his eyes closed, but when he hears Taako speak in that animal language they learned in the first cycle, he's brought out of it with a chuckle. He slowly pulls out of the elf and rolls off of him, pulling him backwards against his chest so he can nuzzle into the side of his neck and curl his arms around the tired mage.

 

"I don't really remember that language," he tells Taako softly, curling one arm under Taako's head and the other over his side to rub up and down his belly and clean off his spend.

 

"Mm," he replies, a little more normal as he tries to remember how to work his tongue. He sighs against Magnus and shivers, the touch over his skin almost too uncomfortable, but Taako's blissed out, he leans heavily against Magnus draws in a shaky breath.

 

"You sure.... remember the other language," he croaks, canting his hips back into Magnus' to punctuate exactly what he's talking about. "Fucked me senseless. Forgot which language I use more," he adds, stretching out his legs languidly. His heels click lightly together, still on after all of this and he slides back hair from his face, trying to look a little more put-together. Taako shifts back so Magnus can bury into his neck again and hums.

 

Magnus chuckles, almost sheepishly. "Yeah, well- like riding a bike," he says, petting down Taako's fluttery belly once he's cleaned off, feeling his oversensitive muscles jump under his touch, overwhelmed by sensation. He slides his hand down Taako's side to grip his hip and then his ass, feeling him everywhere, remapping the planes of his body into his memory.

 

"Missed you," he murmurs, dipping his hand down between Taako's legs from behind, sliding up the inside of his thigh.

 

Just after Taako catches his breath it quickens again, making a soft noise as he lifts his leg up a little to accomodate, bowing his back ever so slightly. "Missed you too, mm," he replies, his spent cock twitching slightly in interest. It's embarrassing, it's like he's never been touched before and here he is getting up again just from a simple touch.

 

"You still got that fire? I think... I think I'm not done with that, darling." Taako laughs breathlessly and turns his head to look at Magnus over his shoulder. The elf's eyes are still heavy and dark, body moving instinctually against Magnus' wandering hand and places his own to wrap back on the human's neck lightly.

 

"I think I still got a little of it, yeah," Magnus murmurs, lowering his head to mouth up the side of Taako's neck, scraping his teeth behind his ear as his fingers catch Taako's soft, wet rim and press up inside him again. His body gives an obscene squelch as he opens two fingers inside Taako, curling them up with purpose against his prostate.

 

"You're still so loose," he hums, biting and suckling the edge of Taako's long ear as he massages his fingertips against the button inside the elf in firm, quick circles.

 

Taako shivers and jolts forward with his hips while eyes cross. Two biggest sweet spots being touched at once, making his insides twist up and his brain go fuzzy. It was almost too much, especially after climaxing twice already, but the deft hands slide in him and he's putty in the human's hands once again.

 

Long fingers curl around Magnus' hair as he spills out tired moans, knee jerking involuntarily at every intense jolt and revived pang of pleasure. The stimulation is enough to ignite an intense but slow fire culminating deep inside, clenching around Magnus' fingers.

 

"Who's fault is that, bubbeleh... You ripped me in h-hhhalf. Bu-- uh-- but I'd still let you again. Right now. Honestly-- honestly not enough. I..." he trails off, speaking nonsense when Magnus drums up the tempo more, biting and kissing the elf's ear and making him curl up from stimulation.

 

"Sorry, what'd you say?" Magnus teases, tracing his tongue up the shell of Taako's sensitive ear, and nipping the tip gently. "What was that about it not being enough? I couldn't hear you over the sound of you losing your mind."

 

He punctuates his words with hard, quick taps against Taako's prostate, pumping his fingers roughly into him, with precise aim. With his other arm still looped under Taako's head, he bends his arm at the wrist in order to pet, pinch and play with his other ear while he open-mouth kisses his way down the other long line down to Taako's neck.

 

In the fighter's hold Taako's ears tremble, a sudden intense flare of arousal hitting him in the gut suddenly and he drawls out a long, stifled moan. Long legs spread a little to give more wiggle room, to coax Magnus to draw back and hit harder. Just small movements, but they're amplified by how close Magnus is.

 

Soft lips feel the shift of skin as Taako gulps thickly, and the poor elf really has gone mostly limp save for his thighs, which pivot the elf's hips forward. The bank of arousal is welling up already, coiling toghter for a third consecutive round and it makes his hands shake, unable to control anything happening right now but honestly he loves this.

 

There's not a single thought, or inhibition in that brain of his once both his prostate and ears are fondled, brushed, and relentlessly roamed over. Taako is an open book, for once, and for Magnus too, who plucks at his strings so expertly it takes only another handful of seconds of merciless touches to get Taako screaming again.

 

"There you go," Magnus murmurs, kissing his way up Taako's neck. He's propped up now on his elbow behind Taako, putting the full power of his arm into the thrusts, his fingers giving off squelching noises as he thrusts them inside the elf, wiggling and scissoring them in rapid, jerking motions that puppet Taako's entire body with mirrored jerks of stunned pleasure.

 

He scrapes his teeth over Taako's throat, mouths at a spot he'd left there before, and pulls Taako back against him with his free arm, circling it around his waist and pinning him against his chest, giving him a solid surface to kick and writhe back against as Magnus wrings the last possible drops of pleasure out of his body.

 

Taako's legs jerk and tremble, hands grasping for anything to hold on to. He cries out uninhibited and desperate. Everything is pleasure. Everything is hot. Pulsing. Higher-- more-- Magnus, _Magnus!_

 

"Magnus!!" he wails, rapidly climbing up and up, impossibly higher. It's too much. His whole body tenses up and there are tears in the elf's eyes. The stimulation is too much, he's careening into a pleasure-brought madness that tears through his entire being like lightning and cants his hips forward jerkily, sobbing as he goes over the edge once more, Magnus holding him securely so he doesn't suffocate on sweet smelling hair and the bedding underneath them.

 

Fingers still drum through Taako's intense climax, even after the reedy elf goes limp after a few solid seconds of being frozen in place, back arched, mouth open as his scream is cut off silently in a bout of white hot magma in his core.

 

He drops limp suddenly, right when the throes of ecstasy start to leave him and he's a shivering, mindless mess against Magnus' torso, body heated and skin slick from the effort of holding himself up. Even his ears are limp, only whimpering and choking back a hiccup when Magnus starts up the neck kisses once more.

 

"Attaboy," he whispers, gently manipulating Taako to lie on his back. The boots are unlaced and gently pulled off, and after a few dizzy moments alone, Magnus is back at his side with a soft, warm wet cloth, rubbing down his trembling, sweaty limbs. Taako is so absolutely limp, boneless and jerking every few seconds from a sharp spike of sensation making it through the dull haze of the most profound afterglow of his life.

 

Magnus bends down to kiss unresponsive lips, smiling to himself in satisfaction at the absolutely fucked-out expression on the elf's face. "How're you doing?" he asks softly, brushing Taako's hair back off his sweaty face and neck and dabbing it away with the soft cloth.

 

"You _know_ you're doing that again soon right?" Taako answers, voice quiet and hoarse from all the screaming. He manages a weak smile, but doesn't open his eyes or more any more than the slight reflexive jerks coarsing through him from Magnus' cleaning treatment, grunting uncomfortably.

 

"It-- it was.... _really_ good," Taako finally replies, voice raw with emotion and use. He's basking in the attention and could die happy right now. He can't tell what's around him, can't tell up from down, save for the gentle fingers brushing back his long hair and wiping at the tears streaming down his face still, the elf trying to control his own breathing and calm down while Magnus finishes up cleaning the sweat and general leftover mess.

 

"Hey. Hey, hey, hey," Magnus crawls up the bed from where he'd been gently wiping down Taako's legs when he hears him star to sniffle. He props himself up on an elbow, wiping his big hand over Taako's scrunched face. "Why are you crying? Are you okay? Did I do something wrong?"

 

"No-- fuck no-- don't... no I'm fine," he reassures, taking a deep breath and trying to ward off the tears, gulping thickly. He leans into the touch fully, reaching up to touch Magnus' arm lightly.  This is the opposite of what Taako wants to happen.

 

Panic starts to set into Magnus' chest, he doesn't seem to hear Taako. "I'm sorry if I was too rough, I- I can tone it down next time, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to go too hard."

 

"You were-- Magnus cut that out, you were amazing I-- that was the most intense fuck in my life and I ca-- Stop looking at me like t-that. You're okay. You were perfect-- maybe a little more bruising and smacking-- but-- Dude, you were feral and I love it and-- it's a lot, you know?" Taako laughs wetly, the noise sticking to the back of his throat and the tears don't stop. He shifts to turn his head. This is too much, crying in front of Magnus right after sex. The fighter leans in closer with that adorable worried face and it makes Taako's chest clench funny. "If you hold back on me I'm going to blast you into a lake or something."

 

Magnus doesn't look completely convinced as he dabs away Taako's tears. There will be time later for him to gloat to himself about Taako's claim that it was the best lay of his life, now isn't the time. "If it isn't that, then what? Why are you crying?"

 

"I just got fucked senseless by someone I love and trust dearly and I can't just be emotional? Fucking _rude_.... Let-- You-- Just come here already, I miss you." He reaches an arm up in a request for a hug, opening wet eyes up to look at Magnus. Taako places his hand on the human's shoulder and he tries to bring himself closer, too impatient for Magnus to react fast enough. He needs that closeness now.

 

"Fuck you, okay? I-- I love you," he finalizes, leaning his forehead against the broad chest with a lasting tremble in his limbs. It'll be a while until he can steady them and his composure, especially after that intense session. Magnus smells of leather and warm skin.

 

"Okay," Magnus lays down beside Taako, pulling the blankets back to cover them both. "I'm sorry. Whatever it is, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you." he kisses Taako's sweaty forehead, curling his arms around him to cradle the elf against his chest. "I love you too. You can cry if you need to. I won't ask any more questions."

 

"You're not why I'm crying dipshit, I just love you. That's literally it. Just-- I swear I won't cry everytime I'm not usually this blissed out is all," the elf rambles, instantly much calmer against the secure warmth. He's just. Baffled. This _happened_. This is _real_ , and Taako is dizzy with emotion. A flare of vulnerability spikes just at the thought of Magnus, despite literally being in his arms. Taako's starting to hate this little development, his ears are tipped in red from embarrassment.

 

"Just... you know. Don't stop. Don't hold back, you know? Rush in, that's your deal. I'm fine, I'll-- look I promise I'll tell you to stop if I'm not okay with-- ghh, with how rough you are okay? Are _you_ okay?"

 

"Yeah, I'm okay," Magnus says, petting over Taako's hair. "A little surprised at myself, I forgot... what I was capable of, I guess. It was so long ago since the last time I- bah, nevermind," he kisses the elf's forehead again. "I'm just relieved I wasn't too rough. I wouldn't forgive myself if I hurt you while I was trying to make you feel good."

 

"Oh trust me darling, it's.... reaaaally hard to actually hurt me. Go hog wild. For serious," he lilts, gaining the familiar levelness of his voice back slowly, though it's still hoarse. "Do it again, do more, I don't care I'm having a blast. You're fucking fantastic."

 

The wizard hums and relaxes against the human, feet sliding along the sheets now that he's gaining back control and his feet are free. Feels nice. Taako wraps an arm around Magnus and pets down his back lightly, just mapping out the lines each muscle makes, fingers light and feathery as they dance along cooling skin.

 

"....Thanks for, you know, everything. This has been frustrating and, well, frankly you make things better. If... you actually want to try this even after our big adventure, I'd be really happy. So... uh-- uhh-- so you know."

 

 

He tucks Taako lovingly against his chest, wrapping him up in a big blanket cocoon, and barely gets a wink of sleep that night as he watches over the elf to make sure he manages to get some rest, and doesn't just stay up all night crying or panicking. He's still not convinced that Taako wasn't crying because of him, but he doesn't want to push him too hard. He loves him too much, for that.

 

It's suffocating, sometimes, thinking about how much he loves Taako. How much he loves _all_ of their friends. His last thoughts are of doing something nice for Taako tomorrow, before drifting off to sleep.


	13. Chapter 13

Oswin's map hadn't been exaggerating when it looked like it would be a several day's ride down to the spot the dragonborn marked. It had been Magnus' idea to stop by Oswin's shop before they packed up to ask him a few last-minute questions, but the doors were locked and the curtains were drawn, despite it being work hours.

 

Magnus has a sour feeling in his stomach about this entire situation, as they ride closer to the town Oswin had marked, called "Fernfield" aptly named because of the thick ferns that flank the roads, some fronds reaching so tall they dip in the breeze and tickle the top of their caravan. This forest is incredibly lush and humid, especially for this time of year, for reasons that are easy for Taako to pick up- the area is thick with mana, just the air against his skin is so heavy with raw power, that he could probably pop off a few spells and his spell slots would regenerate within minutes.

 

"That looks like the place," Magnus points out as they crest over a hill and catch sight of a town built between massive trees through the hazy fog, some of which are built into the lower branches some twenty feet up, with spiraling staircases winding around their trunks. "Hopefully our guy's there, or we just went on a massive goose chase."

 

"Either way-- I mean I think it is but. Look at this place," Taako whistles, nodding as they head towards the town in the trees, skin buzzing with energy. He's strangely calm though, despite the buzzing in his skin and magic on his fingertips. It's gorgeous. They reach the edge of the town soon enough, the trunks infinitely reaching up into the heavens.

 

Magnus feels a pressure at his sides as Taako reels his head back, the hat squishing between them like he's trying to see if the tops can be seen. "Hachi machi....."

 

"Yeah, this place is pretty gorgeous," Magnus says, looking all around them at the massive trees. "If this guy doesn't have our crystal, I swear to- my _biceps_ I'm gonna knock his stupid gold teeth out." he looks over at Taako. "Not that I haven't loved traveling with you, it's just. You know, I'm sick of people pawning this crystal around like it's worthless. They might not know what's inside it so it's not _exactly_ their fault, but- I'm still pissed."

 

"Tell me about it, bubuleh, it's fucking stupid. You know-- what's-- uh, what's the point in it now? We can't exactly, you know, go at this forever. Love travelling with you, natch, but-- Magnus? You think this is worth it?" Taako leans back nonchalantly, pulling his arms behind his back with a grimace, sharing the glance.

 

"Not to say that I don't want to keep going, but we have to be real here. There is a very likely chance it's just gone or the universe is telling us to back the fuck up," he muses, continuing. The trunk over in the other direction catches his attention and he scans through the branches, an ear tilting back alightly. "Maybe we should just, you know, stop."

 

Magnus sighs. "I've been thinking that, too," he says. "Let's just. I mean, we're already here. But if it goes on much longer than this. It might be too long a trail to follow, you know? It's gotten to be a lot more than we originally thought. But at the same time... I don't know. There's a lot of people in that gem. People we promised to protect. All I can think about is that robot from the crystal chamber and how she was so, so ready to fight the hunger to save her people, and how she _lost_ , but she lost to let us get away with her loved ones. It just. Doesn't feel right to give up."

 

"....Yeah, okay. I get that. For sure. It-- just seems like I-- we, can never really get to it. Just hope they're okay, you know? The uh, souls," Taako mumbles, hat tipping to the side as the elf leans bodily against Magnus afterwards. It's a silent reassurance, and also a comfort for himself. He looks down at buzzing hands and flexes the fingers. "Alright, let's go scope oout the bard fella. What's the thug's name again? Roswin or something?"

 

"Rembrandt," Magnus says. They're almost upon the town now, they can see the people all milling about wearing loose fitting clothing to keep cool in the unseasonable heat, and bare feet. They look surprised to see a cart approaching, and stop in their tracks just to watch. "I don't think we'll have a hard time finding him, this town doesn't look very big. I can't imagine there's more than one orc in this place with that name."

 

The locals drift a little closer as Magnus stops Radcliffe and hops out of the cart. Rustic charm cranked up to 11, he waves a hand and gives a friendly smile. "Hello there!" he calls. "I'm Magnus Burnsides, and this is Taako- you know, from TV. We're looking for a man named Rembrandt, is he here?"

 

Instantly, whispers burst out among the crowd. Doors are opening and more people are coming out into the streets to stare at the pair. He's still getting used to the fact that everybody on the entire planet knows who he is now, but it does help him sometimes. After a few moments of exceited murmuring, a barefoot halfling man steps forward with long white hair and a missing eye.

 

"Good morning, fellas. My name is Pekoe, I'm the elder of this village. Why are you looking for our town guard?" he asks, pointing a knobbly little cane at the two of them.

 

"Town guard? But he's a ba-- uhhh.... well-- he might have something of ours, and we want to see if he knows where it is. It's-- it's a long story, trust me, you'll be here all day. Anyway," Taako hops off the cart in a flourish, almost catching himself as he salutes. Still odd not having the Umbrastaff with him to lean on but that's where Magnus comes in. They lightly bump before Taako continues, "Hail and well met, a pleasure to meet your aquaintance. You think you can help us, elder?"

 

A few younger crowd members shift closer once the elf is on level with them and whisper frantically. The crowd waits hushedly for the wise halfling to answer. It makes Taako's ears twitch from the commotion.

 

"Pekoe will do just fine, don't cotton much to being called 'Elder," the old man says, but he doesn't seem particularly sour about it. "Heartsung is out right now doing the morning perimeter, but they should be back within the hour if you'd like to come to our town mead hall for some breakfast."

 

"You know, breakfast sounds super," Magnus says with a winning smile. The crowd follows them at middle distance as the old halfling leads them through the town to a big hall made out of an upsidedown boat with walls built around it, pretty standard architecture, but very surprising to see this far away from the water.

 

Breakfast is served to them, thick cut bacon on fat slices of buttered bread, tankards of hot spiced milk and fried eggs on slices of sweet peppered tomatoes. It's absolutely heavenly, and they pass the time easily through smalltalk with the locals. They learn that Heartsung, Rembrandt's band of traveling mercenaries, had settled down in the area about a year ago, following some kind of tragedy in Rembrandt's life that the orc wouldn't talk about. Taako and Magnus have a pretty good hunch, though.

 

When finally the doors open and a group of thugs come in, they can pick the orc out of the crowd instantly. He's at the front of the charge, wearing a puffy-sleeved white shirt that shows off the majority of his chest and a great deal of jewelry, just like Oswin. Gold necklaces piled on his hairy chest match the gold tipped tusks that stick out of his mouth, and the gold rings on the horns lining his forehead. With sparkling black eyes, he takes in the sight of the adventurers he's clearly been warned were looking for him.

 

"You must be Magnus and Paco!" he says, opening his arms in a grand gesture. He clinks when he walks, the chains on his highly decorated pinstriped pants and pointy-toed boots making a great deal of noise. "I heard you were looking for me."

 

".... _Paco_...??" he whispers harshly to Magnus in disbelief, eyes wide. That's even worse than the judges' mispronounciation! He narrows his eyes slightly and straightens up, pushing his breakfast to Magnus before turning around to face Rembrandt, back to Magnus and an arm resting on the table, hand tucked under the elf's chin. "And you must be Rembrandt. Nice to meet you, homie. Hail and well met and all that-- tell me, you've got quite the presence there, big boy, I'm impressed."

 

He recrosses his legs, flexing long fingers against his chin lightly. "Would you like to have a chat with us about a little something? You see, my dear, we've come a long way to get to you. It's only fair to spend some time with two celebrities that sought you out, you know?" He smiles prettily, normally lidded eyes gleaming as he racks up the charisma a bit, looking especially confident as he gives the orc a cursory glance. Well good to know how well he and Oswin fit with each other. There's no mistaking they're a matching pair.

 

"Sure thing fellas, follow me down to my office so we can get a little more privacy," he says, jerking his head towards the door.

 

Magnus and Taako hurry to follow him, while the rest of Rembrandt's thugs, 'Heartsung' as they're called, all disperse into the hall for breakfast. He leads them across the town, which is now being drizzled by a fine, warm mist, and into his 'office' which is actually just a smaller hall across the way, clearly specifically for him and his team, currently empty. The tables are piled high with bread and roasts, food that's left out and preserved by magic for the mercs to grab at whenever they desire. Weapons are also strewn all about, some of which are stuck directly into the walls. The place looks like a big combination battle arena and mead hall, and it smells like spiced rum, leather and body odor.

 

Rembrandt drops into a big armchair by a big firedplace, draped with so many furs and decorated with so many pairs of antlers it resembles more of a throne, honestly. He gestures for the two of them to take seats on much more modest, backless padded stools. Magnus straddles one, looking all around the hall with wonder. This honestly looks like his kind of place, he's very taken by the aura this place puts off, of adventure and protection and brotherhood.

 

"So," Rembrandt steeples his fingers in front of him, crossing his ankles. "You say I have something of yours. It's entirely possible, my boys were fortune finders before I settled them into the business of protection. What can I do for you?"

 

"I was wondering-- if you will, if you knew about any crystals that have come into your possession in the recent months," Taako starts, sitting straighter than ever with arms crossed, legs crossed. He looks uncomfortable in the hall, but he says nothing about it. There's a glance to Magnus as he clears his throat.

 

"It's a particular one, y'see. Have you seen a sort of... whitish..... purple turquoise stone? Well-- I mean of course, we know you have or had it. We just want to know where it is." He shakes the dangling foot now, braid in his lap bouncing up and down lightly.

 

Rembrandt's smile immediately drops and he sits up from his previously lounged position. This puts Magnus on edge a little bit, but the orc only sighs and reaches up to rub his face.

 

"Ah. Ozzy sent you, didn't he?" he asks, looking down towards the fire.

 

"Ozzy.... Hm. Yeahhhhh. He uh, said you might have soomething to do with the stone after we visited the cave where the fake one was at," he rambles, ears perking at the change in demeanor, alert. "I won't go into details," he glances quickly to Magnus, "but we found the trap and told your homeboy about it, said it was your doing, and that you'd have the stone, most likely, uh-- which I would be happy to relieve you of, you know, possibly soon."

 

The fire seems to heat up behind them, Taako's back feeling a bit too warm. He's suddenly regretting talking the way he is to a large, handsome orc man. He gulps visibly. "So.... it'd be swell if.... you uh. Give us that crystal, you know? He sends his regards."

 

Rembrandt is quiet for a while, just staring into the fire, until he finally sighs again and sits back in his chair. "I was hoping he'd come get it himself," he says quietly, glancing up at the pair. "I just wanted to teach him a lesson. About stealing from me."

 

"I'm sorry- teach him a _lesson?_ " Magnus blurts. "That trap we sprung- that trap meant for Oswin? It almost _killed_ us."

 

Rembrandt's dark eyes snap up to them in surprise. "It _what?_ "

 

"No-- it did more than that. I was _technically_ dead when the whole place-- it fucking collapsed. We almost didn't-- you know," Taako bursts, waving a hand down as he looks at Magnus briefly, ears back.

 

"If it was to teach him a lesson I grow very concerned about your petty levels because I did not appreciate the wa-- uh-- water." He gulps again. The air feels dead afterwards, the elf looking down at nothing with a stiff body. "It turned into a fucking rat, homie, then everything went downhill from there."

 

Rembrandt looks at them like they just pulled the rug out from under his feet, his hands gripping the ends of his armrests, sitting forward in shock. "What- wh- _how?_ What?"

 

"The crystal turned into a rat and bit Taako and then there was this laughter that made the whole place shake, and the wall collapsed and the water poured in. it threw us off the pedestal into the river, and by the time we washed out the other side, Taako wasn't breathing," Magnus explains, his hands shaking slightly. "Is that how you _teach lessons?_ "

 

"I- I _didn't_ -" Rembrandt looks like he can barely string his thoughts together. He scrubs his hands over his face. "I- the rat and the laughter were my doing, yes. But I didn't- it _collapsed?_ "

 

Magnus looks uncertainly between the orc and Taako. "Are you saying that was an accident?"

 

"I just wanted to spook him," Rembrandt says. "Ozzy _hates_ rats. He put that stupid crystal past this big dramatic gambit, by the time I got to it I was feeling petty so I made it look like I didn't make it, and then trapped the crystal- the fake. He'd have a moment of panic, thinking he'd killed me, only to realize I was still alive, and had his crystal. Fuck." he bends forward, elbows propped on his knees, staring into the fire with a tormented expression.

 

"Well, you're lucky he sent us in there to get it, because if he was in there alone when that trap sprung, he would have died for sure," Magnus says bitterly.

 

"So.... wait..... What sprung--What collapsed the cavern?" Taako asks carefully, hand going to his chest where a silver pendant is and plays with it. He pauses, and Magnus notices the elf is now in deep thought, as if trying to decypher what little clues they have.

 

"If you didn't do that, then something else was there. Not sure why or how but I believe this fella, Mags," he turns to the human, eyebrows knit together. He catches on another sentence but holds it, turning back to Rembrandt. "Did you, by any chance, come across any uh... person or creature when you were dealing with the crystal thing? By any chance?"

 

"No, nobody else was there," Rembrandt says. "It's possible I just. Overestimated the structural integrity of the cavern. When I set the laughing trap, it was supposed to make things tremor a bit. The shaking might have just wedged something loose, and with that much water pressure..."

 

"Kabloowie," Magnus offers.

 

"Exactly," Rembrandt sighs. "Goddamn, boys, I'm. I'm truly sorry. I didn't want anyone else to get involved in my stupid little feud with Ozzy."

 

"What exactly _happened_ there?" Magnus asks. "You don't have to dance around the edges, we already know you're lovers."

 

The orc sighs. "Were. Lovers." he sits back again, wringing his big hands together. "His family wasn't. Happy. With his choice of partners. He comes from a pretty prestigious line, half dragonborn royalty, half high elf oligarchy. Tips of the tops. I was a bricklayer when he met me, before he nudged me into the merc business. I'm a damn good bard, but most people won't hire an orc bard. We don't exactly put our best foot forward as a race most of the time. Can make it hard for a fella to break out, doesn't matter if I've got a voice like velvet gold." he sighs. "His family threatened to disown him, and he said he cared more about me than them, but I think he did. Resent me, a little bit. He got mean after a while, bitter, angry. Took it out on me a lot, then he'd fall apart in tears and guilt, and it just became this ugly cycle. It was impossible to make him happy. Broke my heart."

 

"Hachi machi," Taako breathes, wincing. "I can get along a little with that. So-- uh, so you guys broke it off or did you drag it out hoping it'd work? Because-- I hate to say it but. This sounds a little too complicated for an impromptu couple's counselling, my man."

 

Taako stands up from where they are, just to be doing something different, rocking on his heels slightly. "Nothing-- uh, got too out of hand, did it? Like...." the elf throws out a hand uselessly, and abandons the attempt to speculate suddenly.

 

"I mean. I guess it did, yeah," Rembrandt says. "He was under so much pressure from his family that... while I don't think he ever stopped loving me, I think he stopped liking me. Not because of me, necessarily, but because of how both sides of his family were treating him because of me. Looking back on it I have so much more perspective, but at the time, I was just... hurt. Hurt that he was taking it out on me, hurt that he said he didn't care when he clearly did, hurt that he wouldn't just cut them out of his life completely if it was true that he wanted me more than he wanted them."

 

He sighs, heavily. "Family politics got to him. It all came to a head when I got my hands on a piece of treasure after a job that he wanted. He's always been in the business of buying and selling rare and expensive trinkets, so he wanted to sell it for me and split the profits, but I wanted to use it. Somewhere along the way I think we just lost sight of what was important to us, because he convinced me to let him play me for it, and I lost. Found out later he cheated it off me, and..." he sighs again. "It was never about the fucking spyglass, but it was just the straw, you know? The last straw. I wanted to get back at him, so when I found out he put some priceless crystal at the end of a gambit to keep it safe, I had to get my hands on it."

 

"I've got bad news for you," Magnus says softly, his heart aching for these two poor, misguided and manipulated men. "The crystal isn't even valuable to him. He duped you."

 

Rembrandt looks up at them with a mournful expression, and then laughs humorlessly. "Yeah. Guess I should have suspected that when he didn't come after me. I hoped he would follow me to try and get it back, and we could go somewhere out of the city away from all the politicking just to talk things out, but." he shrugs, wringing his hands. "So if he hired you to come see me but the crystal is worthless... _why?_ "

 

"It's pretty obvious when we were talking to him that he still has some feelings. Unresolved, mendable, all that. He uh. Well he's conflicted, that's for sure. Which is common in this type of situation. He uh-- knew you'd want to get him back for the spyglass so he got the crystal-- which is another discussion we'll have to talk about but uh. Well, as for the matter of... of why he wanted us to come to you...."

 

Taako scuffs a boot and looks up so he isn't facing the orc. "He wanted us tooooooo kill you. Bring your head. Something about a kiss..... something.... something someting. Seems extra just for some emotions if you ask me. We're not going to do that so keep your uh-- keep your britches unbundled, buster."

 

Rembrandt's brows lift to the center of his forehead. "He wanted you to _kill_ me?"

 

"I mean- to be fair, I'm pretty sure he only said that because he thought _you_ tried to kill _him_ with that trap that almost killed _us_ ," Magnus says quickly. "But... yeah. He wanted us to put the hit on you."

 

Rembrandt lowers and shakes his head with a heavy sigh, and then props his face in his hands for a few seconds before looking back up. "How did it come to this," he murmurs into the fire, and then looks up at the two of them. "I'm. So sorry you got dragged into this. This is nothing but a lover's spat that's gotten so incredibly out of hand."

 

"We _do_ want that crystal, though," Magnus says. "It might be worthless to the two of you, but it's actually pretty important to us. _Please_ tell me you still have it." Rembrandt pulls a face, and Magnus sighs. "You don't have it."

 

"Of course..... Of course," the elf mutters, walking away momentarily to collect his composure. When Taako comes back he kicks the seat closer to Magnus and plops down, fuming quietly with fingers bridged and his mouth pressed against the slender hands. "Where is it?" he asks aloofly, ears down low. "Did you sell it?"

 

"No, I didn't sell it," Rembrandt says. Magnus lights up for a moment with hope. "But, I... _did_ put it somewhere pretty difficult to get to. When I first got my hands on it and I was angry and hurt and bitter, I wanted to put it somewhere challenging to get ahold of, somewhere that he would have to go through some real shit to get to it, just like his stupid cavern gauntlet. That was back when I thought it was actually valuable to him and he would come after it..." he rubs his neck with a sigh. "Far as I know, it should still be there."

 

Taako freezes in place, eyes wide and suspicious, disbelieving. "You're shitting me. Seriously? Look, my man-- Listen..... When you say.... gauntlet. What kind of gauntlet are we talking about?" Taako leans against the human as each leveled word comes out in a low tone. "And where is the crystal now, Rembrandt? If you can do this, perhaps we may be able to help the two of you fix things instead of all this nonsense," he finishes, tapping a leg away.

 

Rembrandt looks up at them. "You'd help me do that?" he looks hopeful. "I- yes, hell yes. Absolutely. My boys will help you get your crystal back if you'll mediate me and Ozzy after. I think if we just. If we just had a chance to talk it out- but he can't know ahead of time, he can't know that I'm going to be there, he's too proud. Tell him that you killed me, and tell him that you'll show him the body. I know it's sinister, but. He's just too proud to actually sit down with me if I asked him to. He feels scorned, and rightfully so. We both scorned eachother, but."

 

He wrings his hands together. "I still love him. I want to see him."

 

Magnus' heart aches and he gives Taako a look before glancing back at the orc. "You have our word," he says. "Where's the crystal?"

 

"Well..." Rembrandt looks up at them. "A dragon has it."

 

"A _dragon_? Bow howdy-- that's-- that's going to be difficult. Uh. If we have to fight it I'm good not being there-- No way," Taako says quickly, cutting the air horizontally with a slice in protest. "No thanks. Unless we can trick it or bargain I'm not going near a living flametorch. Reconciling, yay, that's great. It's amazing and I recommend it. How did you-- do you know this dragon? Personally? Can you strike us up a deal and all that? Because frankly that would be great."

 

"Well. Yes, I did originally seek out the dragon, and we had a short conversation, but..." Rembrandt looks uneasy. "How well do you _know_ dragons? I gave the crystal to him as an _offering_. Dragons are deadly serious about no take-backsies. That was kind of the point, I wanted it to be impossible for Oz to get his precious crystal back." he sighs, hanging his head and raking his dreadlocks back over his shoulder. "I feel like an asshole now, looking back on it. I should have done better by him."

 

"No use crying over spilled milk," Magnus says. "What's done is done. If we can't bargain the crystal back from him, then we'll take it back by force. It's not very big, with a proper distraction I bet we could just nab it and run before he's any the wiser."

 

"Then we'll have a lovely picnic afterwards with the thug and none would be the wiser, yeah. No _thanks_ , hombres, this is _not_ in my jurisdiction. You gave someting 'important' to Oswin to a _dragon?_ That's all levels of petty my dude, though I commend it theoretically, it's a huge dick move," Taako drawls, leaning backwards and a little on Magnus now that they're close. A little bit of the edge in the elf's voice diminishes from the closeness.

 

"If we're going to Bilbo Baggins this motherfucker we need some safeguards." He folds his arms again and huffs. The fire snaps loudly right after, and the elf's eyes don't leave the orc once.

 

The orc's expression goes flat, almost challenging as he looks at Taako, his fingers steepled towards the floor between his knees. "I don't need you to tell me, I already know it was a mistake. If I could go back in time, I would-"

 

"Wouldn't recommend it," Magnus cuts in.

 

Rembrandt shakes his head. "If I can get my hands on something else of value, I can try going in again to make a second offering, but that's only helpful if we know exactly where the crystal is, because the window in which I have his attention will be short. I can send in some of my stealthier boys for a recon heist, but we'll need to lure the dragon out for that, because there'll be no way for them to navigate his horde quietly."

 

He looks up at them. "Don't suppose either of you have something incredibly rare or powerful you'd be willing to part with."

 

"Hm...." Taako taps his chin in thought, thinking over what they would have to even bargain with.....  "Well there's the raging flaming poisoning sword of doom....." he muses, flicking ears up a little. "And.... lessee.... I still got the Bag of Necessity. Think homegirl would mind?"

 

Taako turns to Magnus, looking as calm as ever. Again, those long ears betray the elf, as they always have. Magnus can see he's hesitant, nervous. The human feels a soft hand over his suddenly, though the elf doesn't stop talking. "It's the best I can think of on short notice, it's what I got besides this cool ass pendant Lup and I got. I mean-- all of them are cool and all. What do you think Maggie? Opinion?"

 

"We promised the sword to Garfield," Magnus shakes his head. "We actually have to give it back this time. As for the bag..." he rubs his mouth in thought. "What about just the mirror? The compact that shows the plane of... big thinks. Or whatever. Think the dragon would go for that?"

 

"I'm sorry, the... big thinks?" Rembrandt's brow furrows. "What does this mirror do?"

 

"It's a little handheld mirror, it's like a visual portal to another plane. Show him, Taako," Magnus nudges the elf slightly. "That'd be a pretty good distraction if it works, he'd have somehting to watch, to keep his eyes on."

 

"What-- no. That's how I talk to Joaquinn. It's the Plane of Thought, dingus," he protests, looking quite offended, though he doesn't move form the human. "It's something I got when we were all going to get vored by the hangry hangry hippo, and I met a fella that helped tap back into my potential again. And I am not traumatizing my boy, Mags."

 

Magnus pulls a face. "Yeah but, I mean- once, right? You're not _still_ talking with him. I haven't seen you pull out that mirror once on our trip and it's been like three weeks. This way we could actually do something useful with it, so it's not just taking up space in your bag."

 

"What I do with my magical artifacts is my business, homie, I'm trying to think of consequences for later on-- Who-- uh, it's like saying I should give up my immovable rod, my trickster's arcane glove! The _low sodium salt shaker_. I don't use my krebstar all that often but I still have it. We're on a mission together, Mags, I've only called people three times since we've been on this adventure. Do you use your railsplitter all the time? No. Not even your chance lance gets attention homie so-- so why don't you start offering? Take that big ol' thing that's taking up space and hand it over? More useful than my mirror." Taako's voice may be normal volume but his tone is a little more biting, turning towards Magnus with a mild sneer. He's wound up, frustrated. "You don't just shout dumb out things and offer other people's shit willy nilly, thug. Not everything has to be-- be _useful_ all the time okay?"

  
Magnus is frowning now. "I use railsplitter and the chance lance to actually _protect_ people, to keep myself and other people _safe_ , which is the same thing you do with the krebstar, the salt shaker and the glove and that other shit you listed. The mirror isn't useful in the same way. Do you want to get to that crystal or not?" his tone sounds almost challenging, disappointed.

 

"Okay, okay," Rembrandt cuts in, breaking up this argument before it has a chance to flare up. "My spyglass. The one Oswin stole from me. If you can get that back from him, it'll be perfect to offer to him. He won't just give it to you though, so you'll probably have to sneak it out of his shop, if one of you can distract him while the other grabs it, I can offer that to the dragon."

 

"Sure thing thug-- I steal shit all the time it's not a problem getting more things we won't personally use. I can do either. Actually do something productive for a change unlike the mirror I used to, I don't know, save the fucking world," the elf replies, voice cool and leveled. He stands up and stretches, unable to be near the human without losing his composure any more. "Want us to explain about the whole 'I didn't want to kill you' thing while we're there? Give you a good edge and the right foot forward while we're at it? I mean if I'm gonna be useful I might as well pack in everything in one go."

 

Rembrandt raises his hands in a placating gesture of surrender. "I think I'm good, actually. You guys seem like you have some stuff to work out. Here," he stands up and grabs a map off the table, marking a spot on it a little ways to the west of where they're at. It'll be another seven days on the road if they're lucky, just to get to Neverwinter and back, and that's if they really book it. "I'll get my boys in position while you guys are gone and stage the recon mission. I'll figure out some way to get him to leave his den, you just focus up on getting that spyglass and bringing it back."

 

"Got it," Magnus takes the map. "Thank you for your help, Rembrandt. It's good to know there are good people we can rely on."

 

Taako is already on his way out the door by the time Magnus turns around. He sighs, shaking his head, and walks after him. Things are tense, and probably will be for a while as they hop back in the cart and get back on the road to go back the goddamn way they came. They seem to be doing a lot of yoyoing for this mission.

 

They settle in the cart, and for the first time since the goblin cave, Taako chooses the back. It's several hours after being on the road that they stop for a food break, to stretch out and shake the tenseness out of their limbs.

 

It takes another hour of silence and sideglances from Magnus for Taako to sigh, and set down the food he had made, in silence, for them. "If you have something to say, say it." He doesn't look at Magnus, but the elf turns slightly to face him, lips tight. He has his fingers interlocked and resting on his knees. The fire before them crackling gently in the cool air.

 

Magnus had been waiting for the opportunity to bring it up, but well, if Taako's gonna rush in this time. He sighs. "I'm just. Worried you're going to give up on this, that's all. Worried you don't have your priorities in order here. If you want to back out, that's fine, I'm not going to hold it over you, this is getting big and complicated, but I want to see it through to the end, whether you want to finish this or not. If you'd like I can drop you off in Neverwinter and go see the dragon with the mercs and then I'll come back after and pick you up again. I get it that you're scared, and I don't want you to think that I'm going to force you to finish this mission or give you shit for it if you want to quit. I respect your decision. So if you've been looking for an out, here it is."

 

"I'm not-- Listen.... I... I want to finish this as much as you, don't get me wrong. It's just-- mmh," he huffs, trying to think on how to answer this. Magnus can see the faint hints of worry on his face, but they're swallowed up by the darkness falling, a ghost of fear. Maybe a trick of the light.

 

"It's not that I don't want to. It's fucking frustrating going back and forth, running around like a, uh-- uh-- like a chicken without a head. I mean-- I'm practically useless in this endeavor-- I can't-- I can't _make sure_ you're okay when we get to something dangerous. I-- look--"

 

He pauses abruptly, rubbing a hand over his other arm. "I don't want you to fucking die. I'm just scared to lose you, okay? Idiot. I'm not the most useful elf-- I can die at a moment's notice pretty much, and I can't do a damn thing if you're suddenly in danger. I barely did anything back at the cave, you know--"

 

There's a pregnant pause, Magnus wating for Taako to continue, but the elf's throat closes up. He's trying not to choke on the words but they won't come out. He stews in silence, eyes cast down to Magnus' feet instead.

 

"You're scared that _I'll_ die?" Magnus scoots a little closer to the elf, across the log they'd been sitting on. "Come on, Taako, you know me better than that. I've only died like 50 times or something, and I haven't died in almost a year, that's a pretty good track record," he gives the elf a nudge with his elbow, hoping to get a smile out of him.

 

A hint of one forms at the corner of his mouth and he sighs, relieved with the closed distance. It's been torture, not having contact. He rocks from the nudge and drops the smile, drops the cool composure a little, and the elf looks so _tired_ suddenly.

 

"I just don't want to fail anybody else, you know? A dragon's a big fucking deal, Mags. We went up against two liches and you lost your body. _I_ could have lost my body if the two chucklefucks saw fit, when I grabbed a hold of you."

 

Taako leans on Magnus, pulling back long hair to get it out of the way. "We need to be more careful, bubbeleh, this isn't like it is with the Starblaster, it's a very real possibility we'll go kaput. And I don't think Lup would appreciate it very much if either of us kicked the bucket officially," he explains, poking Magnus in the side to make him jump.

 

Magnus wraps his arm around Taako with a sigh. "I get it," he murmurs, rubbing his hand up and down Taako's arm. "When you stopped breathing in that cave, I thought..." it's hard for him to even talk about it, but he fights the urge to choke up. "I thought I was going to die right with you. But we're _so close_ , Taako. That dragon _has_ it. We're staring down the barrell here, we're so close to the finish line. It's a big, big fucking finish line, but it's in sight. And we won't be alone. We'll be with Rembrandt and his twenty guys. If it gets bad, we'll have a shit ton of backup."

 

"They don't have shit on the hunger, but I'd rather not get my butt kicked by a dragon. We also don't have Merle's shitty cleric-ing for guidance," he jokes, relaxing against Magnus like a deflated balloon. Maybe it's not a cry but there's a weight off his shoulder definitely. "Also, question. Do you think they know about the almost dying? The boner squad? Because uh, let's agree to not tell them. At least right away. I might get put under house arrest for fifty years. Not kidding."

 

"I think if Kravitz knew, we would have heard from him by now about it," Magnus says, rubbing his hand in soothing circles across Taako's back. "I think I uh... pulled you back quick enough that he didn't notice. He's pretty busy most of the time."

 

He turns his head to nuzzle his nose into Taako's hair and closes his eyes to breathe in that comforting scent, and he kisses his forehead. "We're so close, babe," he whispers, giving Taako's shoulders a squeeze. "Once we put those souls back where they belong, we can go home together, just you and me, and figure out what kind of future we want to build."

 

"Yeah, I-- Yeah... okay. And-- and we can, you know, migrate through the houses too. Sort of like bunking in each other's cabins. Old times, darling," he murmurs, voice cracking a little. They really are close. And there's a deficit between wanting to prolong his time with Magnus, and getting the stone as soon as possible. They've been at it almost a month now and he's starting to sorely miss his other family.

 

"So.... Maggie.... I-- I just want to say, and get this out there while I can, before I lose my nerve, but I love you and-- this has been a blast, despite pretty much dying. Despite-- uh, all the unpleasant shit. And for, you know, letting loose finally," he tacks on, the last part accented with eyebrow wiggles.

 

Magnus laughs softly, reaching over to brush some of Taako's hair behind his ear. "Yeah? It might be time to let loose again a little bit, what do you say?"

 

He's already carrying the giggling elf to the cart before he can even respond, dinner left forgotten beside the fire.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there is explicit sexual assault in this chapter, so please beware!!!!!!!!

Since the moment Magnus and Taako got their hands on the spyglass that Oswin stole from Rembrandt, the weather seems to be heralding something bad on the horizon. The morning had been sunny when they finally re-entered Neverwinter, and put their plan into action. They'd realized pretty quickly on their way back that there was going to be no way they could approach Oswin without it seeming suspicious, since the last he saw of them they promised to go kill his ex lover and anticipated the next time he saw them would be with Rembrandt's head in their hands.

 

Lucky for them, Taako is a fucking master genius wizard of disguises and voices, so he adopted the visage of Lord Artemis Sterling himself and came into the shop to invite Oswin for a walk to ask about 'what's all this I heard about you putting out a professional paid hit on someone?' just to make him sweat a little bit while Magnus snuck effortlessly into the shop with a stone Taako had pre-enchanted with a few 'knock' cantrips loaded up into it for him.

 

Surprisingly, it was the easiest part of their journey so far. Magnus signaled to Taako that the deed was done and he had the spyglass by whistling a birdcall through their stones of far-speech, and Artemis wrapped up the conversation in a big hurry with what amounted to a slap on the wrist and a warning not to do it again, and then disappeared, leaving a very confused dragonborn behind.

 

But the moment they were back on the road, the sky hung pregnant with clouds that dropped buckets of water on the two of them several times over the next few days. On multiple occasions the wheels got stuck in the mud and Magnus had to get out and push while Taako cast levitate on the wheels. Poor Radcliffe is a mess of mud and matted hair beneath the layers of blankets he's been draped with, and Magnus makes a note to give him a serious rub down after all of this. Other than the weather turning darker and stormier the closer they get to their location, things have been running smoothly since they left Fernfield.

 

They make the most of it, however, and keep going. They have a large enough window of time but neither of the two want to risk waiting too long. The sooner the better, and while they still have this large lead it's best to take advantage and pounce on the moment, the wizard focused on this exact thought the whole time on the road.

 

Even their meals together were slightly shortened, both agreeing to not make the other men in the mission wait too long. They know too well about waiting for a battle to come. Taako goes all out on the food though, almost like old times, sans magic. Something nice for the two of them, possibly a bit of incentive on Taako's part for Magnus to come over and spend time, have breakfasts together and talk about things. What to do. Lup will probably tease him a lot, honestly. And simply thinking about his twin leaves a tight knot in his heart. Taako misses her, and Barry, and Kravitz. Angus, too.

 

Taako keeps in mind that this is the last leg of their journey, and then they can go home and rest, their thirst for adventure would be cured for a little while. Magnus laughs at Taako's jokes throughout the days and they enjoy every moment together, even through damp muddy clothes and aching backs from the rain.

 

Their time is spent laughing and singing, enjoying their time in spite of the rain, huddled under blankets enchanted to roll the water right off like a duck. They love joyously and with intensity, listening to the rain patter around them as they sleep in the back of cart and make sweet, lazy love in the starlight. Despite the rain, they have such a good time that they almost forget they're heading towards a literal dragon.

 

As they draw nearer to their destination, at last, the weather begins to clear up. They crest over the mountain range just west of Fernfield and catch their first sight of the coastal cliffs a few miles down that houses the dragon they're after. Their mood sombers up considerably now, as they follow the road winding down the mountains and try to imagine what the dragon will be like. They only dragon they ever encountered so far was the weird spelled skeletal one in that stupid corporate retreat they were forced to participate in with Brad Bradson, and that didn't give them much of an idea of what a _real_ dragon would be like.

 

When they're just about a mile out, Magnus pulls the cart off the road and parks it among the trees in the wet grass. "I think we should hang back," he explains to Taako as he hops down off the cart. "Let Radcliffe rest, and more importantly, get some rest ourselves. We're gonna want to go in under cover of night, so let's catch some sleep now so we're well rested for the heist tonight."

 

"Well okay, bubbeleh," Taako replies, sliding off after him and stretching. It would be for the best anyway, store up as much energy as they can, and Taako needs to gain back spell slots. They need all the advantage they can possibly get for this heist, just in case it turns into a battle. After getting food and water settled for the horse, they make camp. The elf wanders the woods to get some kindling for the fire, and also to scope out the area. Old habits die hard. When the elf comes back with mildly damp wood he's casted prestidigitation on to be dryer, and has found nothing, he relaxes.

 

Taako makes them food before they try to rest up. "I don't know what to tell you, Mags, but I'm digging this place. A little wet, but that's fine-- uh-- it's really nice out. Not too loud and open. But-- well we've got cover. So we'll be okay from the rain. You ready to sleep now?" He situates himself near Magnus, preparing to meditate.

 

Magnus elects to use Taako's lap as a pillow, since he prefers to meditate upright. He honestly would prefer to be able to cuddle the elf for warmth, but he has to keep practicality in mind, this time. Meditation is more restful for the elf, and they both need to be at the top of their game. They both slip into a deep slip, with restfulness on the mind.

 

Which is exactly why they're taken off guard by a familiar group of men who for all intents and purposes, they should have been done with the first time around. They're quieter this time, the ground is wet so their feet barely make a whisper as the adventurers are surrounded by bandits who honestly can't believe their luck.

 

They're more careful this time, circling around to block them in from all sides, and then all at once like a pack of wolves, they descend.

 

It's a flurry of activity, panicked shouts cut off by a cloth between Magnus' teeth, Taako's braid used as a handle to tear him away from the human, thrown face down in the wet grass, boots crushing down on his back and he feels something pop as all the wind is flattened out of him. It's dark, the drizzling put the fire out hours ago, and before Taako can even fully back out of his meditation, he takes a blow to the head that knocks him so close to being unconscious that he can practically feel his soul blink to the astral plane and back, but it doesn't quite take him all the way there.

 

There's a brief moment where the only dizzy thought his brain can put together is that Radcliffe must have gotten spooked and run and kicked him in the head, but then he feels hands on his body, flipping him over, and he sees a sharp white smile double and spin on top of him, and he hears Magnus' voice, muffled, gritted, scream, " _LEGGO'FHIM!"_

 

Taako can barely register anything as the creeping darkness at the edge of his vision starts to slowly fade, arms numb from the impact and he's basically helpless as hands grip his shoulders too tightly pin him in the wet, cold grass, the drow from before manic with victory. There's a dangerous glint in his red eyes, and the elf tries to fight back, but unfortunately, the blow to the head makes his whole body lag, and he can only protest vocally with nonverbal grunts.

 

Fingers tingle unpleasantly as his vision swarms. One of the men kicks Magnus in the side to make him stop talking, another on top of the human to pin him down.

 

"I've been waiting to do this ever since I laid eyes on your pretty little face," the drow spits, voice like a snake and just as venomous. He pins Taako's arms up above his head, making the elf's heart speed up in panic. He's defenseless. And he doesn't have any way to focus his magic with his head swirling full of painful fog.

 

A free, grey hand roams Taako's torso greedily, possessively, and he recoils best he can as Magnus struggles against the other men watching. "You're going to pay for humiliating me, you know," the man breathes, and the implication drains the blood from Taako's face, eyes wide, and he starts kicking.

 

The drow laughs meanly, straddling Taako, bigger than him, weighing him down, _hard to breathe_. He can only think in short bursts of panicked instinct, his mind still too hazy to form rational thoughts like where his wand is, for instance. Distantly he hears Magnus scream again, muffled and wheezing.

 

The fighter struggles against the full weight of four men holding him down, and they're still only barely strong enough to subdue him. Magnus calls the chance lance to him and it obeys, sliding across the grass, only to be snatched up by one of the bandits holding him down just a split second before he can close his outstretched hand on it. He feels it connect with the back of his skull but he doesn't let it slow him down even remotely as he surges to his knees and fight to throw off their weight as a fifth bandit bears down on top of him, flattening him back down to the ground.

 

The drow slides a dangerous-looking curved knife up the center of Taako's dress, slicing it open from hem to collar, baring him to the freezing air and cutting him just slightly, the cold stinging in the hot, burning cut. He feels a hand close over his throat and a knee wedge between his thighs and he fights to get his hands to do anything but loosely grip the wet grass, and isn't this _so fucking familiar_.

 

Taako's mind short circuits for a moment, this present moment flashing back to something old-- and he can't control his emotions, still delirious from the head injury that he starts tearing up, hands trying to push off the drow's hand, the grip tightening threateningly, saying don't resist. Resist and you're dead.

 

He's shaking, vaguely hearing Magnus, but Taako's not here. He's back in a dark alley, he's back in an uncomfortably small space next, and each time, Taako's felt hands too harsh at his throat, spitting venom and taking whatever the fuck they want. Because that's what he wants, isn't it? The delusion is all Taako can think of, hold on to, in the dizzying murkiness of consciousness that's barely there, and he whimpers.

 

The man brandishes the knife and curves it so the flat of the blade trails down the exposed skin, licking his lips like he opened quite the delecable meal. The man completely ignores Magnus throughout all of this, the bandits holding him down with perverted sneers as they keep on watching how Taako panics, how shut in he is, how the drow starts to roll his hips against the elf like he owns him.

 

"Ohoho you're a _naughty_ little thing aren't you?" the drow coos, moving to see the tent among the pushed up folds of the ruined dress that hide the involuntary half mast member. Taako doesn't want this. He.... he _knows_. _Magnus_ knows. Right?

 

His underwear are sliced off next and the vulnerability signals to some part of Taako's lizard brain to just shut down, turn his head away, stare at a point in the distance and clear his thoughts, and it'll be over soon, just like the last time, and the time before that. Fighting only prolongs it, makes it hurt worse. Just give the man what he wants, the sooner he starts the sooner he'll stop.

 

Magnus is like a wild animal. With two men holding down either arm they still have a hard time containing him. A sixth man joins the ranks and then a seventh, and then with the eighth, that marks every single man apart from the drow on top of Taako just trying to hold Magnus down, and it _still isn't enough_.

 

He throws them off like they weigh as much as kittens, enraged, pinprick focus on those ashy hands on Taako's body, taking what doesn't belong to him, what doesn't even belong to _Magnus_ , what belongs to _Taako_ and Taako _only_. He gnashes at the cloth gag, vision red, and moves practically in slow motion as eight pairs of hands fight to drag him back down to the ground.

 

And then in a heartbeat, stillness. Magnus feels an icy pain in his stomach and he looks down, fighting dizziness to follow the line of the chance lance where the tip is stuck poetically between his ribs, into the hands of the bandit who had taken it from him. He falls to one knee first, and then the other, the lance slipping from its puncture as he collapses onto his side, and then rolls onto his back, wheezing.

 

He tips his head back, catching sight of Taako as the drow flips him over again in the grass, twisting one arm roughly behind his back, and then he feels another sharp pain in his stomach, and blacks out.

 

Shivering in the cold and in his own helpless fear, Taako forces his body to stop fighting, to stop working, and let it happen. To let this go as quickly as possibly and he's numb, hearing the pained grunt from Magnus and hearing him fall over, but Taako can't see anything past the echo of gold rivets surrounding him in every direction, the sole accomplishment the elf had made after that day. That _fucking day_ where everything was yet again taken from him, without even knowing it.

 

The ground seems to crush around him, the wet slide of the grass against his chest and face the only thing he tries to focus on as hot tears fall against the mud. The drow unbuckles his pants and is already pushing inside. It lights Taako's back up in _pain_ and _fire_ as the intrusion forces its way in. He's panting heavily, quick, fearful breaths barely bursting out of his mouth when he's already breathing back in again. The spiral of panic drowns out the groan from the drow as he starts to fuck Taako viciously, making a cry tear involuntarily from the elf's throat.

 

It earns him another smack to his already jumbled head and sends the elf near unconsciousness again. Too much, too much _, too much_. He can't _breathe_ he can't _move,_ please _finish_ already, Magnus don't look _please_ \-- Taako's thoughts jumble and twist, spiraling down deeper. This is what he deserves, for being useless, again. Taako is used to having things taken away, used to having nothing. _Being_ nothing.

 

There's a harsh jolt inside Taako, then another, then another, each one making him cry out hoarsely. The man chuckles and takes a handful of his hair to pull him back and anchor the elf up against him, pounding away again and Taako can feel something drip down his legs, and it makes the wizard's stomach _churn_ with guilt. There's no way he'll be wanted now. Magnus won't-- Magnus--

 

"M-Ma..." Taako calls out, voice tight from the angle his throat is at. It hurts to talk, it hurts to _breathe_ , the arm twisted behind feels like it's going to pop out of the socket and Taako can't _see_.

 

The drow slaps him to stop the noises and he falls quiet once again, fearing more pain, but all he can feel is the hot angry throb going up his back and radiating into his bones, into his chest and he goes limp, compliant. The drow pauses-- thank gods, slowing down to an easier pace, realizing Taako's submitted. The elf can practically hear the smirk in the man's voice.

 

"You're finally getting wise. Maybe if you're quiet, I'll spare your life and your cattle's. Maybe I'll keep you. Make you come next time." Taako isn't even listening anymore, the grey swarm of nothing in his mind is seeping into his ears, filling them with a comfortable cotton buzz. He feels cold, numb, and tired. Taako doesn't answer, and the drow purrs out twisted praise as he speeds up, focusing on himself and using Taako's resigned body.

 

Like a used tissue, Taako is dropped suddenly, falling onto his face with a splat and shivering as he now looks over his surroundings, head pounding, body throbbing, and Taako's stomach clenches when he see's Magnus' prone body, voice failing to scream.

 

The pain cuts through the fog first, followed by the sound. The sound of soft, wheezing, choking gasps of pain, Taako's voice, clenched up tight, small, vulnerable. Magnus fights the grey clawing at his body and opens his eyes, looking up wearily into the darkness. He tips his head to the side and takes in the sight of Taako, abused, pinned down, concussed, helpless.

 

Not helpless. Taako is never helpless. Taako is the strongest person Magnus knows. His blurry eyes roll and cross, focusing on the wizard's wand, gleaming in the dark grass like a shining beacon of hope. It's several feet away, and Magnus can feel so much of the strength flagging from his body, seeping out through the wounds in his trunk. The bandits think they've won, they think they've subdued him, killed him. He'll have a very short window with which to move.

 

The insant he rolls over, a slice of pain shoots up through him so powerful he nearly doubles over, and he realizes he still has a knife in his belly. He rips it out as the bandits scramble to catch him, but he already has a headstart. He throws the hand holding the knife painted with his  blood blindly behind him, and catches one of the bandits across the eyes, who falls down screaming, cutting through the otherwise muffled sounds of the wet clearing. His hand closes around the wand and he pulls the gag down off his mouth to shout,

 

"Taako, _CATCH!"_

Taako jolts so harshly it startles the drow as the wand is thrown to the elf in a beautiful arch. He catches it right out of the air, fingers deft enough to not fail Taako even when his eyes speckle with darkness and his body trembles. There's a small spark of rage, enough to help him turn on the startled drow and summon his magic to create a spell big enough to blast the man away, from his injured body, from Magnus' eyes.

 

The hand flies up to the man's pointed nose, lavender eyes wide when he's faced with his assailant and takes a deep breath, expecting the blast to be _big_.

 

A flurry of ineffective sparks fly from the tip of the wand and into the airas Taako casts _prestidigitation_. No, no, no no no, not _again_. He can't lose his magic _again_ , not at a time like this when Magnus _gave_ him the perfect opportunity. Not a time to be _useless_. Taako freezes at the sparks, and so does the drow, who then laughs so heartily it makes Taako tremble.

 

"Are you _serious?_ " the drow drawls, "Cute."

 

Taako failed. He failed. Magnus is hurt, he could have killed himself taking the opportunity to give him his wand, and he can't _do magic_. The one _fucking thing_ he's supposed to be good at. The elf has no control. The wand is slapped out of his hand as Magnus hits the ground chest-first with a deep grunt of pain, and the knife he loosed before do give him a split second of advantage finds his body again, sinking into his back.

 

But it was enough. Taako's spell was _enough_. The commotion, followed by the jetty of sparks shooting up through the trees was enough to call in the calvary. Rembrandt's men swoop in like birds of prey, spraying the clearing with blood as several of the men are felled immediately. Others scramble to their feet to get away, the drow is left running and holding up his pants for a second time, but this time at a much more sinister cost.

 

Taako is wrapped in a blanket and lifted by a hard, warm body and for a moment he thinks it's Magnus and relaxes, until his swimming vision catches sight of a green hand cupped under his bare legs, and then past it, the gleam of honey-brown skin in the grass and a shirt soaked black with blood in guttering torches as the rain begins to pour down on them again, freezing cold and ubiquitous.

 

Taako _screams_.

 

It's not loud, or emotional. It's hollow, and sad, and broken, full of his fears of the worst. This is _exactly_ what the elf was afraid of, what he told the human, but he'd imagined a dragon, something huge and fearsome and something he couldn't have possibly had the power to protect Magnus against. But _this_. These were _men_.

 

Now it's his fault he wasn't able to shake the drow off, to help in any other way. The pulsing, overwhelming headache and the deep disgusting ache in Taako's body are the only things preventing him from launching onto the grass out of Rembrandt's arms to get to Magnus' fallen form.

 

Rembrandt holds him more securely, the distressed elf trembling and twisting and feeling so small in his arms. "No no no.... No no-no- _no-no Maggie-- No_ \--" Taako chants, voice cracking and unstable.

 

"We've got him," Rembrandt's voice sounds distant, all Taako can understand is that he wants to get to Magnus, has to get to his side, and something's holding him back. The blanket is soaking from the rain, sticking to his body like a net, like a second skin, cocooning him in yet another pair of arms he's too weak to break out of. He screams again, and then he blacks out.

 

When Taako wakes up, he's in a dry tent, dressed in a fluffy, dry robe. For a split second, everything feels normal, for a split second everything seems like a bad dream. But then the muscle of his leg shifts slightly in preparation to just think about moving, and pain seizes his whole body with a weak moan. There's a warm cloth laid across his chest to soothe the bruising ache there and he tips his head to the side to see he's on a dry cot in a canvas tent illuminated by orange flame from a dozen candles.

 

A cleric is hard at work, hunched over Magnus, who is laid out limply on another cot across the tent from Taako. He looks so _pale_ , his lips look white, and from here Taako can't tell if he's breathing, but he can see the sheen of sweat covering his naked upper body, where a blond, sour-faced human cleric has shaking hands flattened on his wounded chest, fighting to undo a great, great deal of internal damage.

 

Taako watches with horror as the man heals his most precious friend, unable to walk over and hold his hand, unable to do _anything_. For a few brief moments Taako hesitates to use his voice. He's not sure why, but the words are stuck in his throat, no lump in his throat, no heart-crushing emotion welling up. Just a cold fear of what might happen.

 

The blond cleric looks so focused, eyebrows knit together as those trembling hands work to bring the fighter back, to save the life of Taako's companion and he moves, carefully, to sit up at least. Do something instead of just lie there. All focus is on Magnus.

 

"How bad," the elf croaks. It's barely a question. It's a demand, to tell him the situation. His voice is exactly as thrashed as anyone expected it would be. Nobody in the tent seems to want to make eye contact with him.

 

It's Rembrandt who comes over to sit beside Taako on the cot, puts enoug space between them that it doesn't make the elf itch. He notices belatedly that the fog is gone from his head. Which probably means the cleric tended to his concussion while he was unconscious- when? Before tending to Magnus? Taking away from precious seconds he could have spent healing the fighter? The orc gives Taako that sad, pitying look that Taako has always tried to avoid during times like these.

 

"He's pretty bad," Rembrandt says, he doesn't feel the need to sugar coat it for Taako. "But Clifford is a very accomplished healer. If anyone could bring your friend back, it's Cliff."

 

"Why did he heal me first." There's still no questioning tone in his voice. A feeble semblance of control in the situation? Or is it because Taako, once again, feels hollow. He stuffs down the fear and gulps the last bit of panic trying to escape, trying to unravel the elf's composure. "Why did he tend to me when Magnus is _dying_. I'm not hurt, so why." The elf turns to the orc, looking up.

 

It clicks that Rembrandt helped them, and he relaxes a little. Good. At least something came out of this mess. Taako, without his glamour, looks physically as dull as his emotional state.

 

"Well," Rembrandt looks across at Clifford stooped over Magnus, and back down at Taako. "Magnus told him to. You _were_ hurt, actually, you had a really bad bleeding headwound, and you were already unconscious, and Magnus was still awake when we brought him in. We could have lost you, easier and quieter, without even noticing."

 

Taako thinks bitterly to himself that it would have been preferrable that way. He already resigned to the drow, why not death. Not death, but just. Slipping away. This jarrs the elf and he blinks down, both with the horror of his own thoughts and Magnus' consideration. It makes his chest ache.

 

"Magnus...." he croaks, barely audible. A hand slides up to brush the loose hair falling over an eye and twists a hand into it. "He's going to make it. The chucklefuck fought a fucking jacked up bear finding out our home was gone. He can do anything."

 

Rembrandt smiles sadly, wringing his hands in his lap. "I'd believe it even if I didn't see it with my own eyes," he says, looking across at the wounded fighter. "I know guys like him. Fought with a few like him. They don't go down easy or quiet, and they don't gently pass away unconscious, either. Nothing can stop guys like him. I saw the stories, I heard the song. He's a fighter in every sense of the word. He won't go like this."

 

He doesn't know. He can't possibly pass that judgement, and he sees the look that Clifford gives him over his shoulder. But he also knows Taako, knows him inherently as does every person alive now, and he knows more than anything that Taako needs hope.

 

There's a dry, humorless huff that escapes the elf's lips, and he shakes his head slightly. The headache may be gone but everything is sore and used. He can't even lift up his own legs. Taako wraps thin arms around his own body and hunches in, looking.... small. The usually languid elf, sitting in the remains of his shattered defenses as he watches Magnus fight for his own life helplessly.

 

"He better not. We still need that crystal," Taako murmurs. Besides the growing obsession of Magnus' vitality, it seems easier to just. Turn off. To focus on the mission at hand. He doesn't like the way his body doesn't feel like his, the uncomfortable _being_ -ness. Like a loose tooth digging into sensitive gums, or his core being held open to be looked at intimately.

 

"So uh-- how long will this take usually?" the elf asks, voice controlled mostly, masking everything. The usual. He doesn't turn to Rembrandt. Tired eyes stay locked on his dearest friend, and Taako leans forward to ease the pressure on his aching hips.

 

"Can't say. Never been a healer before," Rembrandt says. "I don't know if I've ever seen Cliff take on someone this bad off before. Ah-" he glances over at Taako, who seems unmoved by this revelation, at least externally. "I just mean. Well, I don't think I can say. I need to go check on my forward troops, you just. Stay here. I'll be back in a bit."

 

He leaves the tent, ducking out into the freezing rain, leaving Taako in the tent with an unfamiliar man's back facing him as he bears down on Magnus with all the power in his body.

 

The familiar contact leaving makes a fleeting panic spark momentarily in the elf's chest-- quickly snuffed. Taako feels cold. Not physically, it's a decent temperature in the tent, but a bone deep feeling of icy fear that lingers no matter what. It weights his limbs and his heart. Being left alone makes one think. A dangerous thing.

 

Taking as deep of a breath as he can, Taako releases it shakily. He has no one to talk to. The cleric is concentrating, but he speaks out nonetheless. Something resembling normalcy. Even when he watches Magnus' still body, not even a blink.

 

"...I guess it's just you and me now. Uh. I'm not.... Look, you.... you're doing a good job, but if he-- don't let him-- If you're as good as the big fella says, well, I hope Maggie wakes up soon, y'know? I need to punch him for telling you to heal me first. Fucking sap." Even if the man can't talk, even if Taako doesn't want to interact, it's better than feeling sorry for himself in an unknown place. Being useless. A futile attempt, but an attempt nonetheless, Taako will give himself that much.

 

The cleric completely ignores him. Taako half expected as much, though the isolation becomes more suffocating when he knows he can't rely on the only other conscious person around to help him avoid the truth and feel normal. He can't leave because some part of walking out of the tent feels like sentencing Magnus to death, as if just by being present he could somehow save him, so he's just left in this liminal space where time passes too quickly and too slowly at once and he's both completely alone and intimately observed.

 

By the time Rembrandt comes back, Taako is practically climbing the walls for conversation, and welcomes the smalltalk as the orc gives him the details of his troops' patrol schedule and how closely they're watching the nearby dragon's lair for any sign of change, for any sign that the dragon inside will have taken the bait that they set up. It's humiliating to admit, even privately to himself, that this tedious smalltalk that he ordinarily would have dismissed after the first sentence with an honest statement about how much it bored him, is right now the only thing keeping him from crying in front of strangers, but that's just where Taako's at, today.

 

When finally the cleric makes a move away from Magnus' body, Taako's pretty sure hours have passed, but considering where he's at in his own head, it might have only been half an hour. He doesn't really want to know the amount of time it took to bring Magnus back from the brink, though, because that would be a quantifiable number for how badly Taako fucked up.

 

He's covered in blood up to his elbows and he futilely wipes his hands off on a towel as he turns away from the cot, looking absolutely drained, putting off an energy in equal measures of satisfaction and frustration. "I did what I could," he speaks in a smooth voice to Rembrandt. "He'll live. I'll have to give him another round later, but he'll survive the night, long enough for me to recharge. I didn't want to drain myself because I still have to give the elf some medical attention."

 

"Makes sense," Rembrandt pushes off his knees to stand. "You want me to stay here for that Taako, or you want privacy?"

 

"No way are you touching me," Taako says, his voice his usual cadence but his body stiffens immediately, drawing back from the cleric like the very idea of being healed is a sentence worse than death, and it very well could be for all Taako is concerned. Heal Magnus, is all he can focus on. "Yeah uh-- can you do me a favor and make him go back to my homie over there that's bleeding on the table? That would be great--" he asks, a little sharply, inching away back onto the cot when the cleric takes a step forward. "Yeah no, ch'aboy doesn't need another sesh without permission, thank you very much."

 

"He isn't bleeding anymore," the cleric says coolly, though it isn't very reassuring given the blood smeared up to his elbows and over his face in brown patches where he reached up to wipe away sweat and painted blood in its place. "You've been raped. You need medical attention."

 

"Hh-- No! Taako's not for this-- if you touch me I will burn a spell slot on you I swear. I will-- I'll burn your face off," he threatens, though it's hollow. He won't be able to do anything against the cleric if he's healed. Maybe turn the cot into cheese, or something equally embarrassing. Hearing that word felt wrong. It makes his heart seize because it was said, it was identified and Taako didn't want that. He doesn't want to hear this man, who mechanically sewed Magnus up together, to tell him what happened.

 

"Don't _touch_ me," he warns again, arm going up to protect himself. Some agency at last. Good. He gulps down air to keep his breathing stable and looks to Rembrandt for help. "Tell him to back off, thug, I am _not_ doing this."

 

"I don't need to lay my hands on you to heal you," the cleric speaks very clinically. "You are traumatized by what happened, I wouldn't put my hands on your body."

 

Rembrandt looks equal parts uncertain and awkward when Taako looks at him for help. "Uhh. Look, I'm not a healer. He would know better than me. All I know is what I saw, and what I saw was. Well. I don't think I need to tell _you_. You're hurt, and it's his job to heal hurt people."

 

"Contrary to what you might like to believe, you can't brute force or deny your way out of the physical trauma that's been done to your body," Clifford says coolly.

 

"I beg to differ, wise guy. I've done it for almost two hundred years and I'm not letting some chucklefuck touch me with his magic, fingers, or anything. Go. Away," Taako growls, fear creeping up into his voice. He struggles to get both legs under his body but the elf manages, scooting as far back as possible. "It's not that big of a deal, seriously. Just gotta walk it off and I'll be right as rain. The whole shebang. It's all g in Taako centric, now uh-- shoo." The elf waves the hands that's out to block between them and folds numb ears back, the tips trembling slightly.

 

The cleric is unmoved. "You aren't the first rape survivor I've healed," he says evenly. "You can't walk off sexual assault. You can catch infection and die from open anal fissures without medical attention."

 

"Hey, Cliff, maybe ease up a little bit on the reins," Rembrandt says, putting his hand on the healer's shoulders. "You're a good doctor, but he's scared. It only happened a few hours ago."

 

"Time is of the essence," the cleric says, lowering his volume slightly to speak directly to Rembrandt. "The earlier he recieves medical help, the easier it will be to heal him, and the less pain he will suffer moving forward. Not to mention, if I may be so bold, I doubt his lover whom I just spent the last four hours pulling out of the claws of death would be thrilled to hear that he's refused healing after being attacked."

 

"I'm right here, you know," Taako reminds them, aggravated he's being treated like a child. Ears are still lowered, shoulders are still hunched, but he relaxes only a fraction when they're occupied, and checks on Magnus in a flurry of panic, to make sure he's still there. Good. Okay, breathe. The cleric has points, Taako admits. Be pragmatic, reasonable. It's hard. It's not pleasant. Taako needs to cooperate. Magnus will only have more grief over this, that's correct. Think of Magnus. Don't think about any repercussions of this that might ruin things.

 

"I know you're right there," the cleric says, sounding ever so slightly frustrated, now. "But speaking to you has gotten nowhere."

 

"Clifford," Rembrandt is a little harsher, now. "Be your best self."

 

Taako takes a deep breath, warding off the pessimism. "But-- fine. I guess. Like it matters one way or the other. But I guess I can't be limping around while fighting a dragon."

 

The cleric exhales through his nose as he observes the elf. "If you must think of it that way, so be it," he says.

 

"Speaking of the dragon," Rembrandt says as Clifford takes a spot by the bed to tend to Taako. "I'm going to call off the mission for now, recall my boys."

 

At the sound of those words, Taako panics. "What-- no. Why? Because of this? Fuck no. We're so close, I'm not giving up now because of one lousy bandit fight okay? Maggie will be okay and we'll get this show on the road, straight to victory and all that," Taako rambles, protesting immediately. If he's left to focus on nothing, it'll go inward. And he can't bear to look at Magnus' face if they have to wait to recover.

 

"Let's keep the mission okay, no need for brash decisions, that's Magnus' job." The cleric makes Taako nervous but he stays still. If a little ansty in his seat. "We have the opportunity right now, let's go for it, thug."

 

The cleric is just as silent and stone-faced as he was when he tended to Magnus as he holds his hands a few inches away from Taako's body, glowing with soft blue light to check for damage. Standing beside the bed with his arms crossed, Rembrandt shakes his head.

 

"This wasn't just a bandit fight. Magnus almost died and you were assaulted. This isn't just a battle lost, this is. A lot of things lost," the orc looks between Taako, and where Magnus is fighting just to stay alive. "The crystal isn't going anywhere. We can regroup in a few weeks and take it from the top. This is my final decision, Taako. I won't allow this plan to continue after what just happened."

 

With that, he turns and leaves the tent, leaving Taako alone, very close to this unknown man, very close to touching him, with that same cold look on his face.

 

"Hey-- Wh-- Hey!!" Taako calls, rooted to the spot only because he knows that messing up magic can do some fucked up things, and he fumes under the skin once the orc is gone. Taako is instantly tenser than before, eyes wide as he draws the dirtied braid into his lap to grip onto like a vice.

 

He doesn't speak a word to Clifford. The hands hovering make him nervous, wanting to draw away. The lack of compassion freaks Taako out. It's too much like earlier, though there's no malice in those clear eyes. It still drudges up old memories, foggy with age but still uncomfortable. It grows tenfold the longer they're there and by the time the healer is finished the elf is practically hyperventilating.

 

Clifford finally sits back, looking a little worse for wear, with sweat on his brow and in the hollow of his throat. He pats at his face with a kerchief and shaking hands, taking a few deep breaths, looking like he's fighting off either nausea or collapse. "You should be healed now," he says, standing up carefully. "I'll be in the next tent over. If you need me, if the fighter's condition changes at all, come wake me up."

 

He manages to keep from faltering on his way out of the tent, and then when the flap falls back over the entrance, Taako is alone in the tent with nothing but the sound of the cold rain outside pattering against the wax-sealed canvas, and Magnus' labored breathing. The fighter's face is turned away from him on a hard-looking pillow, and his thin blanket has been left carelessly down around his waist, with both of his arms limp at his sides. He looks like a corpse who's just been left there until they figure out what to do with him.

 

It leaves a cold stillness in Taako's chest, and even though he's able to move his legs well enough without it immediately causing immense pain, Taako still winces as he stands, wobbling unsteadily. The elf shuffles with his own blanket around his shoulders, his pillow under his arm, and makes his way over to the prone fighter. It hurts him to see Magnus in such a sad state.

 

Carefully, he rests Magnus' head on Taako's pillow, hoping that the extra layers will help, and goes to cover him with the extra blanket, careful to not jostle anything, while listening out for his breathing. He makes sure it doesn't change, and takes up a hand as he rests on the cot with weak legs. This is the least he can do, if not to comfort himself, and bows his head.

 

"I'm sorry, Maggie. This is all my fault," he breathes, brushing over worn knuckles and calloused fingers. "I know you can't hear me but.... you better come back. Or I'm sending Lup to kick your ass for leaving me to deal with the stone myself."

 

If this were a perfect scene in a perfect world, Magnus would have woken up right then and there. But he doesn't. He doesn't stir at all, his fingers don't even twitch in Taako's hand. He just carries on, peacefully, dreamlessly sleeping.

 


	15. Chapter 15

At some point, Taako must have climbed into the cot with Magnus to lie against his side, because the next thing he knows, his back is up because someone is leaning out over him, and he nearly wakes up swinging before he realizes it's just the medic, checking on Magnus again. The fighter is still unconscious beside him, which he can see easily because the entire tent is illuminated by morning light.

 

Clifford steps back to give Taako room to climb out of the cot so he can continue his ministrations, just as a familiar green face pokes into the tent. "Hey, Taako," Rembrandt says, keeping his voice down low. "Breakfast? Some of the guys are cooking by the fire."

 

"I'm not hungry," Taako says simply, looking tired and just. Worn out, despite the sleep he got. He rubs his face with a hand and drags it down is features slowly, exhaling as he looks over Magnus again, arms wrapping around himself in the robe tightly, body closed off.

 

"If you're trying to get me out of the tent you're SOL. I'm staying until he's up." There's no weight to the words. He can be picked up and carried out. Taako just looks at Rembrandt with bleary eyes, resigned.

 

The orc sighs, moving deeper into the tent. "Come on, man. Let's give Cliff a little space to work. He'll let us know if there's any change. Magnus isn't gonna disappear if we leave the tent."

 

He leans down to a more conspiratorial level. "Between you and me, my boys are kind of piss-poor chefs. I think they could really use your help. They can't tell the difference between basil and cilantro and they keep trying to put _both_ of them in the eggs."

 

Taako makes a face at that and raises up thin shoulders. "Oh my gods-- yup, okay-- education time feat. Taako." It's a relief to see that the suggestion broke through the cloud, even if it's just a glimmer. He sways when he takes a step towards the exit but resolutely continues on, though slowly.

 

The two make it to the fire where a group of men are sitting around the pit, indeed trying to make breakfast. After some conversation Taako decides to take over, at least seasoning it right. It takes normal time, and some of the men are writing down notes as he talks, back in his element.

 

"Next time, before you pour in the eggs, you can whisk it with a dabble of milk to get that fluffiness going. That's scrambled eggs 101, homies," the elf explains softly, finishing the breakfast with a faint smile.

 

Rembrandt seems pleased to see Taako more relaxed. After the night he had, he really could _use_ some normalcy like this. His men joke around with Taako, but they're careful not to actually touch him. They were all there for the most part, they know what happened, and none of them are really prepared to or have any experience with dealing with it.

 

The eggs are shared and compliments are paid to the chef in droves, playful ribbings tossed about between them over who made the worst eggs before Taako's brilliant new teachings, stories shared about how badly who has fucked up cooking what, followed by just one-upping embarrassing stories in general.

 

Plates are cleaned and smiles are shared, and just as one man with a peg leg was standing up to give a glowing rendition of how he lost his leg to a dragon's maw with his arms looped over two friends' shoulders for support, the trio freeze, staring off at a point over Taako's head.

 

Clifford has come out of the tent. He looks pale, but not shaken, simply a side effect of healing, and he has a bloody rag between his hands. There isn't as much blood as there was last night, it looks more like a dabbing rag than something that was used to stem any serious, life-threatening flow.

 

In a clear, tired voice he says, "The fighter is awake."

 

Taako's mind stops for a split moment, forgetting about the world, about the grand story, about breakfast. His body moves automatically, surging towards the cleric with a slight stagger, muscles stiff and sore even after healing and he moves past Cliff in a hurry, wasting no time. Taako needs to see this with his own eyes.

 

If the elf was sentimental, he'd call the feeling bubbling in him hope, maybe happiness. It feels more like reprieve from the limbo that holds his escence hostage, making his way clumsily down to the tent, stomach feeling tight and lungs burning for air. It hurts, and he's _alive_.

 

Taako almost falls when he gets to the flaps of the wax-covered canvas opening, but manages to catch himself. Dull eyes look straight towards the cot, stealing Taako's breath.

 

Magnus is upright in bed, looking bleary but blessedly conscious, blinking around exhaustedly. He catches sight of Taako a couple seconds later, squinting in the light. He honestly looks like _shit_. It was harder to tell by soft candlelight just how badly his bruising is, and just how pallid he looks, pale from bloodloss and fatigue. His eyes are sunken and much of his naked body is covered in a clammy film of sweat. But he's _alive_ , and he starts to twist towards Taako, but a sharp pain in his belly prevents him from moving, and he clutches his stomach with one hand, the other grabbing the blankets.

 

"Taako-" his voice is hoarse and tired. "Shit. We- Taako."

 

Before he can say anymore Taako is there with him, a hand placed on the warrior's chest and the other lightly patting over him to check him over, muttering unintelligible words in another language, but Magnus can tell the worry, and relief, and weariness in the elf's tone.

 

After quickly assessing, Taako presses their foreheads together in a rare show of affection, though it doesn't last long in his flurry of hands and restless eyes. "Thank fuck, I was going to punch you if you died, you prick," he breathes hoarsely, voice still a little croak-y but at least not as bad as yesterday. If Magnus thinks he sees tears he can't prove it, because the next moment they're magically gone.

 

Magnus gives a weak huff of a laugh. "No dying this cycle, remember?" he croaks right back, pulling Taako to sit down beside him. There's a few quiet moments where he's just glad to have Taako back, but then the events of the last night all come flooding back, and he remembers what exactly happened during the attack.

 

"Oh god," he pulls back, looking down at the elf. "Oh, god- Taako. Taako, you- he- Taako-"

 

"Nooooo, none of that, okay?" Taako warns, holding a hand up quickly, eyes averting. "I'm fine, y'see? Taako's all here, you can relax." He tries a lop-sided smile, dropping it as soon as it appears and takes up his braid nonchalantly.

 

"Everything's gucci with ch'aboy, capiche?" he murmurs, undoing the monster of a mess from its braided prison, brushing off dirt carefully. Something distracting, productive. "I even whipped the thugs out there into shape, they make terrible eggs."

 

Magnus looks concerned for a moment, and then gradually more concerned as the moments tick by and Taako keeps trying to act like everything's okay. "Taako... you can't just. Pretend that didn't happen."

 

"Watch me, homie. You see me freaking out about all my past shit? No. I'm a big elf, going to do big elf things soon. Like get back the crystal. Really, m'dude, I'm okay." The wizard illustrates his point by shooting an arm out and waving it, wiggling his fingers to get rid of stray hairs that stayed looped over the digits from brushing through the long length of his unraveled braid.

 

"I dealt with it, I'm healed, it's done. There's nothing to pretend if I've dealt with it," he reasons, and Taako's voice is certainly back to normal for the most part, just bleary eyes and sore legs to him.

 

"Dealt with--? Taako it's been- that was _last night_ , wasn't it? You can't just- Taako, that's _bad shit_ you can't just-- did you even talk to anybody about it? I'm not going to let you just blast over that like it's no big deal, it's a _big deal_."

 

"Look I-- Listen.... Just listen to me, okay, Magnus?" Taako stops brushing through his messy hair, letting it fall off his lap like a waterfall and rubs at his face, first upwards then out, resting both hands on the back of his neck. "Remember-- Remember Cycle 53? The plane with acid rain? You-- you couldn't save someone. It took you a long time to say-- to uh, talk about any of it, to even open up about the topic. You squished it down every time, homie. Remember that?"

 

Magnus pauses, his shoulders droop. It's been... a long time, since he thought about that cycle. Of course he remembers. That miserable plane with the constantly rolling, constantly moving acid rain storms. Shelters were meager and impermanent, and the inhabitants of the world were small and nomadic, constantly moving just to stay ahead of the storms that would devour them if they lolly gagged for too long.

 

It wasn't that he'd forgotten, but slowly re-learning a century's worth of memory takes time, and it comes in pieces. It had been a child, a baby boy separated from his clan, who came crying up to Magnus, terrified. The rain was so close behind them, the wall of water just seconds behind him as he ran with the boy clutched desperately to his chest, charging at full speed just to keep ahead of the storm. By the time he'd made it into the cave the boy's clan was staying in to hide from the freak storm, Magnus realized he'd accidentally smothered the child against his chest in his haste to flee.

 

He'd been broken by it for months and months, and couldn't even bring himself to talk about it until the start of the next cycle. "We didn't save that plane," he says softly, looking back up at Taako. He gets it now, he understands. He'd been so desperate to just move on, to find a way to improve life for these people, to find the light and give them a chance at finding hope in the future. He couldn't face what had happened, couldn't look his own grief in the face for so, so long. He reaches out, pulling one of Taako's hands down to squeeze it in both of his. "Okay. For now, okay. We'll focus on the mission."

 

"Thanks, buddy," Taako manages, looking away before squeezing his hand into Magnus' gently, reassuringly. The elf takes a deep, shuddering breath before he moves to get up and... What, do something? Taako's listless, but the Cleric did a good job at patching him up, the most he can do is pat the fighter down with a damp towel to clean him off.

 

"Uh-- I think-- I think maybe after the doc rests up for one more sesh we can tackle walking. How you feeling, Mags? I mean-- uh, I don't know what happened, but--" Taako stops himself, hand gesturing uselessly in the air to try to promote talking, flopping it down into his lap.

 

"I think-- well, I got stabbed," Magnus says, trying to do his best _not_ to freak out, even though he desperately wants to grab Taako by the shoulders and shake him until he admits he's not okay so Magnus can get him through that rough part and out the other side. "Like... three or four times. I don't know. Pretty bad. Not the _worst_ I've ever had, but uh. Pretty bad. You really popped off that spell right when it counted though, you know that? Let Rembrandt know exactly where we were."

 

Magnus can hear the softest, smallest exhale, coming from Taako, shakey. "It was supposed to be a Fireball. It was supposed to hit--" Taako grunts and gulps thickly before rubbing his face. Long ears are drawn back, flat against the elf's head with a wince.  "Yeah I fucked up real bad on that one." His voice sounds so _defeated_.

 

Magnus had been trying to compliment him, but. He's pretty sure he's not gonna get through to Taako in any meaningful capacity for a while. At least not until the mission is over. He sighs sadly and reaches out to rest his hand on Taako's knee. Taako knew where Magnus was trying to go with the spell. It was appreciated. Insecurities have a funny habit of popping up, however. He jumps at the hand and moves to put his own on top, to keep it there despite his reaction.

 

"Let's finish the mission," he whispers. "Then we can unpack. Everything. Once the crystal is safe, and _we're_ safe."

 

"Yeah uh... there's a problem there." When Magnus looks down at Taako in confusion the look the elf makes in return is conflicted, biting his lip before closing his eyes. "The mission is canceled, Maggie-- I uh. Rembrandt, he--"

 

Magnus' face falls when Taako tells him that. At this point he couldn't personally give two shits about the mission, but he knows what Taako needs. He needs some time to avoid, to let it sink in, to give him time to grieve personally before facing it with others, and he can't _do_ that if Rembrandt just up and sends them home.

 

"I'll talk to him," he says, pulling the blankets back off his legs. "I'll get him to understand."

 

"Noooo can do, buckaroo, you're staying put until that wound heals, okay? We can convince him when you're healed enough to be walking. Right now? Not risking that, Maggie." Even though he has no way of actually pushing back Magnus, Taako places his hands on the other's chest to make him halt, to keep him on the cot.

 

"I'm the only one here, homie, if you fall on your face and bust your gut I won't be able to get you back up, y'feel?" he tries, ears flicking back with a small frown. Usually Taako would allow Magnus to do dumb shit and see if he'll learn but making sure he's not exacerbating the injury became top priority after last night. "Sorta not the strongest fella in the world."

 

"I'm not dying anymore Taako," Magnus says seriously as he indicates the raw scar tissue. "I'm sore, sure, but my insides aren't going to fall out or anything. I'm all closed up. Do you want the mission back on or not? I'm getting pretty mixed signals from you right now."

 

Taako pauses and makes an odd face, then he pulls back with his hands up in surrender, a familiar smirk falling onto his face, one he uses to keep things light. "Good point, actually. I did warn you, so there'll be that if you fall on your face. Alright, let's go." He slides off the cot and turns to Magnus, waiting for him to try getting off. Ears still low, nervous, Taako's nonchalant expression forms into something humored. "If you fall can I call out 'Timber'?"

 

"Only if you yell it loud enough so everybody knows," Magnus hides his wince in a coug has he swings his legs over the side of the cot and teeters to a stand. A sharp pain jolts through his stomach, but he's pretty sure that's normal as he stands up and ducks through the tent flap into the misty morning camp.

 

The quiet chatter that had started up when Taako left immediately silences at the sight of Magnus, all eyes turning to look at him, as if expecting him to keel over and die at any second. Magnus scans the camp until he meets eyes with Rembrandt coming up the muddy path, and the orc immediately jogs up to him.

 

"Holy shit, look at you, on your feet," he says, clapping Magnus on the arm. "I'm so relieved to see you upright."

 

"Yeah- anyway," Magnus says, shaking the orc's hand off his arm. "You canceled the mission?"

 

Rembrandt's face falls, and then creases with a frown. "You were nearly eviscerated. And Taako was-"

 

"I know what happened to Taako," Magnus defends. "Taako knows, too. We still want to go through with the mission. Don't give me that look- I'm not heartless, I know you're thinking it. This is what he _needs_. Haven't you ever been in a situation where something so completely awful happened that you just need to keep going or you feel like you'll just die?"

 

The orc sighs, his defensive posture drooping slightly. "Yeah. Yeah, actually I have."

 

Magnus nods. "This is like that."

 

"Okay so usually this is where Taako quips to say 'you don't have to speak for me blah blah blah' but y'know what? Maggie's right. Gimme something to do, m'kay? I mean. I'm a chef, I can do that much at least," Taako replies. He leaves out 'wizard', which is usually his biggest pride alongside cooking. Right now the latter being his most prominent talent.

 

The elf has a hand on Magnus' arm, and he looks over to the rest of the crew with a frown, seeing the looks of concern and curiosity on the mens' faces, thinking that they must look like quite the pitiful pair compared to the Song's projections. "So what'll it be? Are we continuing the mission, thug?" Amethyst eyes glance back to the orc, leaning lightly on Magnus's shoulder.

 

Rembrandt thinks for a minute, his brow creasing. He looks down in thought, and then out at his camp, at the rest of the men, all paused in their morning activities, waiting to hear the verdict, and those of them too far away to know what's going on, they've sensed the mood and stopped moving anyway.

 

He looks back at the pair with a sigh. "When I was fifteen years old, my town was razed by a rival tribe of orcs. Half of us were slaughtered, and those of us who they thought would be useful were taken as war slaves. I, along with several boys I grew up with, my best friends, were broken in as warriors, and pit against eachother. They poisoned us with some kind of drug that enraged us to the point of blindness and put us in an arena together, with the promise that the sole victor would be their pet project. And- well. I'm standing in front of you."

 

He puts his hands on his hips and turns to the rest of his camp. He cups his hands around his mouth and projects his voice with magic so it reaches even those patrolling the outskirts. "The mission's on for tonight, boys!"

 

Taako looks so relieved, there's a smile that cracks from the facade, and he huffs out a laugh. "Great! Maggie, isn't that great? We're uh-- we've gotta get ready now, huh?" Taako breathes, the cheering of the men loud and clear as they animate again, the elf leaning on Magnus even more with a fit of giggles overcoming in, hand over his eyes.

 

"This is fucking surreal, oh man. Wait until Lup hears about this. Us, fighting a dragon." The crew roams around once more, satisfied with having a plan now as they go about their day prepping up for the mission that should have started last night, though what's a little delay? It gives the two time to better prepare themselves, and Taako loops both arms around Magnus' with a glint in his eye. "It's gonna be tight as heeeeell~"

 

Magnus shares a concerned look with Rembrandt, but they both brush it off a moment later. He won't let Taako run from this forever, but for one night, he'll let him pretend like nothing bad happened. He respects Taako's needs, even if he doesn't agree with them. Once they're safe, once the crystal is in their custody and the day is saved, he'll sit Taako down in private and he won't let him run anymore.


	16. Chapter 16

It was really only by luck that the plan hadn't already been put into action the previous night before Magnus and Taako were attacked. The weather hadn't permitted quite yet, they'd been planning to wait for the rain to let up, when Taako signaled their need for backup, and the trap had been forgotten.

 

Put into action tonight, Rembrandt sent out some of his men to start a massive fire on the edge of the dragon's territory, big enough that it starts to catch the trees. As suspected, the dragon responds within minutes of the column of black smoke pluming into the air right at sunset, soaring off to tend to the threat in its territory, which gives Rembrandt's two stealthiest rogues time to scale the mountain into the dragon's lair to look for the crystal.

 

There's a harrowing few minutes when the dragon is circling back faster than expected and flies into the mouth of the cave before they can see Rembrandt's rogues returning from their hiding place, but the group all sags in relief when they see the pair of elves drop their invisibility spell halfway down the path winding down the mountain. Rembrandt personally hugs them both as soon as they make it back to the camp.

 

"We found the crystal," the smaller elf says, her face still covered in a full mask, only her eyes visible through a slit in the black fabric. "It's close to the top of a pile, on the left side of the cave, one pile back from the front. It's just sitting there in the gold."

 

"Okay, that's good news," Rembrandt says, as the nearest members of his group lean in to listen. "So here's the plan. While I make a big stink of coming up the front with the spyglass and start buttering up the dragon, I want you guys dancing, I want you playing your instruments, make some noise. In the meantime, Taako, you sneak by with an invisibility buff. You'll recognize the crystal better than anyone, so it'll be up to you to sneak by, climb the pile, and get the crystal. Once you're outside with it, give us a birdcall and we'll know to wrap up and meet you down here at the foot of the mountain. Any questions?"

 

Taako takes a pause, face scrunched in concentration before smoothing out and leaning backwards, arms folding. "Yeah, a couple. First of all, what happens if the dragon notices me at all? Smells, hears, sees... I mean I'd be trapped, right?" he takes a deep breath, continuing the second half out before Rembrandt can answer the first and clears his throat.

 

"Another thing is, what sort of dragon is it? Color? Anything? If we know what breed it is it'll be easier. Right? Red dragons are known for their aggressive nature considering uh-- considering treasure, right?" he flicks an ear and studies his nails with a frown.

 

"He's black," Rembrandt says.

 

"Oh, super, we're gonna die," Magnus quips.

 

Rembrandt shoots him A Look. "He's pretty aggressive," he continues. "But also very smug. He's easily distracted by compliments and offerings. You won't have to worry about being seen or smelled, we have safeguards against that." he gestures to one of his party members, who suddenly holds up a perfume bottle and begins spritzing Taako with something that smells spicy, sulfury, and sour. "Distilled aroma of dragon piss. Don't worry, we aren't actually spraying you with pee, it's just water. That _smells_ like dragon piss. As for the rest, you're going to be covered by a glamour from our resident wizard. He'll make sure you won't be seen or heard."

 

"This is brand stripping, I just know it," Taako groans, grimacing when he's sprayed. He shudders and gulps before waving it off with a hand. "Okay so-- another question--" he stops, frowns, and opens his mouth again only to click it shut to avoid getting piss-water in the mouth. "What will Maggie do in all this, m'dude? Will he be with you fellas or...?" Taako trails off, gesturing to himself, and the 'perfume' that was graciously sprayed on him.

 

"Magnus is going to be with us, yes," Rembrandt says, clapping a hand on the warrior's arm. "When the song was projected to everyone in the world, we figure the dragon got it too, so he'll recognize Magnus as the hero of the world, coming to pay _him_ respects. It'll chuff him so much he won't have any room left in his head to worry about the weird pee smell wafting in from the right."

 

"Hero of the world, huh? You forgot he's called the Protector. Hmm, the Hammer, I'morko.... Really, I could go on," Taako lists, tapping on his fingers to count the other aliases and such with a wry smile. "So, uh, really play up on his role. You all g, Mags?" the elf asks, glancing up to the human while biting at his cheek.

 

There's the pang of insecurity that flares, knowing he himself won't be anything to sneeze at during the mission. As long as Magnus is okay with this plan, however, that'll be enough to get through. It's best that the human show his rustic hospitality and get away quickly. He's been limping still, no matter how much he tries to hide it the fighter is still in pain after the healing.

 

"All good," Magnus says with a nod. He reaches out to take Taako's hand, giving it a little squeeze.

 

"Excellent. Get that cloak on Taako and let's move out," Rembrandt says, already leading the charge up the mountain. Magnus looks uncertainly back at them, and then back at Taako, his jaw flexing as he clenches his teeth, and he gives the elf a weak smile.

 

"See you on the other side," he says, and releases Taako's hand to go catch up with the orc, as another elven wizard approaches Taako to cover him in a potent invisibility spell. Taako's ears are pressed back harshly into his hair, tied around his neck like a scarf, or a noose. It prevents it from getting in the way, and also helps him keep calm, feeling covered. Magnus' hand helps shake off the uncertainty that lingers on Taako like tar, ever growing since he woke up on that cot.

 

"This isn't infallible," she tells him as she weaves it over his body, bending the light around him. "There's a cantrip built into it that compells eyes to glance off you if they're just looking around, but if you draw attention to yourself it won't help you. You have to stay stealthy and stay quiet."

 

The woman speaks but the words don't quite reach Taako as he stares down at the hand that had held Magnus', frowning slightly. "Yeah, okay. Magic mojo, be careful, the usual stuff," he murmurs, not meeting her eyes. He's strangely muted, hands shaking under the cloak. Once the spell is cast and finished Taako moves to enter the dragon's domain, sinking low and fast.

 

He can't mess this up. Taako can't afford another mistake, or Magnus will die for sure. It makes the elf clench tight, gritting his teeth as he slips into the shadows, looking back to see the last of the men-- and Magnus, ascend up to distract the dragon with a feeling of dread weighing his heart.

 

They begin playing music as they approach the top of the mountain, which immediately gets the dragon's attention, shimmering and towering like a dragon made of ink, allowing Taako to slip in unnoticed beside them and skirt around the edges of the lair. Rembrandt leads the charge at the front, playing a lute and making up a song he goes about the dragon currently shifting in place to face the front of the cavern and watch the approaching band.

 

"I remember you," the dragon speaks in a low, rumbling voice like thunder as Rembrandt shoulders his lute, and the rest of his party keeps gently strumming and fluting to cover up any possible sounds of Taako's movements.

 

"O mighty Shevasta!" the orc bows low, one hand outstretched, one holding his lute so it doesn't swing down and hit him in the face like an idiot. "I brought you a gift not long ago, and I come to bring you a second. This time I bring with me the Protector, Magnus Burnsides."

 

"Burnsides," the dragon repeats. "Is that one of the names from the story?"

 

"Uh- yeah," Magnus clears his throat, stepping forward. "I've never met a dragon before, so uh, I figured I might as well start at the top and work my way down from there." The dragon seems immediately pleased by this compliment, puffing his chest out a little bit.

 

Taako rolls his eyes at the pleasantries. He pulls the cloak tighter against himself and lowers long ears down, slipping by as fast as he's able and once inside, well, Taako relaxes just a little bit. He scopes the clearing for any signs of life, and charges a Detect Object spell in search of the elusive crystal, climbing over bones and charred wood and gold baubles and treasures. He's tempted to take some. A little fuck you to happenstances that lead Taako and Magnus to this moment.

 

The commotion outside dulls the farther he goes in, and looks around. Outside, a few of the men beat drums, blow a flute, one even strums a guitar and moves through the men, close to Magnus to give him a cue that Taako is inside.

 

He finally sees it, right where he was told it would be, second pile back on the left, up near the top, just sitting harmlessly among the gold, casual as you please. It's almost insulting, seeing it sitting out in the open so plainly after all the hell they've been through to try and track the damn thing down.

 

"We bring you this treasure!" Rembrandt declares, holding up the spyglass, explaining to the dragon with a flourish exactly what it does, keeping his attention fixed firmly on the group at the front of the cavern, away from the elf sneaking around in the background. Whatever sounds of gold shifting as Taako climbs over the piles is masked by the music, and the sound of the dragon shifting himself, sending gold cascading down the piles.

 

It's almos too easy, as Taako climbs the pile towards the crystal. But then he hears a sound from behind him-- footsteps on the rock floor, several of them approaching from the side of the cave.

 

"What's going on here?" a voice calls out, a voice so familiar it puts ice in Taako's veins, and when he whips his head around, he sees the drow from before, the one who attacked him _twice_ , leading his group of bandits up towards the dragon, towards Magnus, who he's _bound_ to recognize. "Boss, who are these-- wait a fucking second--"

 

Taako freezes, heart hammering, suddenly there's no air around . He can't breathe, he stays still, trying to keep invisible, to will the spell to take effect and his hands tremble terribly. The ache up his spine comes back, a phantom pain screaming at him to bolt, to run away and not face this. Taako succumbs to the fear and casts Blink.

 

One moment he's there, the next, vanished. He rushes to the top, away from the men-- from the Drow, and Taako's barely concentrating on the spell, trying to get to the crystal and move away from the man and his harsh eyes. Get the crystal, get the crystal, get the crystal-- The mantra is all the elf forces himself to think on. It helps calm the buzzing in his brain. Belatedly, Taako feels he's made the wrong choice when the spell is up and he's up at the top.

 

 _Magnus_ \-- The elf turns to fire up a spell at the bandits, ice cold fear setting in him at the realization that the bandits could very well jeopardize his dear companion's safety. Taako's voice dies in his throat, eyes wide.

 

The speed with which things can go to hell is startling, sometimes. One second they're playing music and placating a fearsome dragon, and the next gold is showering down off spread wings as that same towering beast roars in anger as its platitutes are cut off by a group of very unfortunate bandits who happen to work for him.

 

Taako's spell breaks the barrier of invisibility that the other wizard had cast on him, but everything is already popping off in front of him. Nobody seems to notice the elf near the top of the piles of gold. They all seem to be pretty preoccupied by the dragon who's now breathing a gout of fire at them, only barely held off by a group of wizards who throw up a barrier that keeps them from all burning to a crisp instantly, but the force of the jet flame is enough to push the group back, and a few topple off the edge of the cliff, rolling down the side to the path below.

 

His spell connects with the back of one of the bandits, who spin around in alarm at being attacked from behind. The drow spots him first with a sneering laugh. "Is it time for round two?!" he yells up at the elf, and rears back a giant spear, arcing it through the air towards Taako.

 

The elf yelps and dodges the spear as it hits the gold pile, just inches from his stomach, a bit to the left as he tumbles down from the pile just a little. Taako is breathing fast and hard, and he scrambles back up to snatch the soul stone finally, ignoring the screaming to flee completely, to leave the scene, leave the drow that mocks him. He hears that poison voice swear venomously.

 

"Jumpy for a little rabbit, aren't you?" the man jabs, "Come down here! I'll make you feel good again!" The elf flinches, reaching the top and snatching at their prize, the reason Taako is here, and he feels like he's watching himself move, watching someone else's hands circle around the gem that has taken so, so long to find, and gasps for air.

 

It feels so fucking good to finally have it in his palm. It resonates against his skin with a comforting buzz, and it starts to glow and hum in reaction to him, as if it recognizes him. It's such a relief that he almost forgets that he's in the middle of a combat situation, until he hears the sound of gold shifting behind him, and he turns to see the drow clambering up the mountain of gold towards him.

 

"Get down here!" the drow tries to jump for him, but the pile of gold is unsteady and shifts under his feet, sending him sprawling a few more feet down-- which unfortunately causes a domino avalanche effect, and sends Taako sliding down a few feet, too.

 

He tries, he really does, to backpedal up the pile but it only causes more to fall and he's sliding down towards the drow quicker than Taako can blink, ears up in alarm as he yelps, stricken with fear. The crystal is a constant in his grip, vice-like to the point of his knuckles turning white.

 

Amethyst eyes looks up to the drow so close by, wide and fearful. Taako tries to move past the drow, to get to the fight, to get to Magnus. They need to get out _now_. The elf's ears flip down, brushing his shoulders, free now from the braid that was so carefully tied around his neck, now loosened and free and it swings with his weight, smacking the drow's chest as he turns to bolt.

 

The drow takes it like a handle and yanks Taako back towards him. Enraged and acting on instinct, the elf swings around with the rock in his hand and decks the drow right in the mouth with it, his punch tripling in effectiveness with the unyielding stone in his palm. Unfortunately he also feels a couple knuckles crack because of it, but despite the pain shooting up his arm it's worth it, the way the drow crumples like a wet sack of hay, gurgling as his teeth break and blood fills his mouth.

 

Taako has just enough time to turn and try to scramble away on the unsteady gold beneath his feet, just as the dragon screams another gout of flames at Heartsung, doing their best to fight the bandits while not being burned alive by the furious dragon. The roar drowns out the exact words behind him, but he can hear the drow shriek _something_ at him, and something hard hits him across the back of the head, sending him sprawling down the hard pile of gold, landing with a thud in the shitfing golden dunes. It isn't enough to knock him unconscious, but he is dizzy now, and the stone skitters out of his hand and across the gold.

 

When he lifts his head, he sees the drow's boot come down on the crystal, the only thing keeping his weight from immediately crushing it is the gold shifting and giving way under the pressure. The drow spits a mouthful of blood down onto Taako's face. "You're gonna regret that."

 

With his injured hand, Taako reaches up to wipe the blood off and snarls, though it's an empty gesture. He's petrified, and it shows. Taako's vision swims and pulls, looking like water rippling and for that moment he laughs morbidly. How many times has he been knocked in the head? The elf's assailant sneers down, confused and angry at this clearly delirious, useless little thing. "You're going to pay very dearly this time," the drow threatens, and this strikes true, unadulterated fear through Taako, heart racing, an overwhelming balloon in his chest about ready to pop.

 

Taako dives to get to the crystal, trying to push the drow away, to push his foot away. "Fuck you," Taako spits, slurring terribly and he's sluggish, everything going in slow-motion and the roar of the dragon outside brings the wizard back to the present before reaching up with a shaking hand to grasp the other's leg, willing his magic to bubble and work, to burn this mother fucker. He tightens his eyes closed.

 

The drow screams as flame engulfs his leg, and he topples back in the gold. It's not the sunburst Taako had ben hoping for, but his magic seems to be cooperating to some degree, for now. It's enough for him to scramble up to his feet and put those old surfing skills to good use as he jumps on a golden shield and sleds it down to the ground to join everyone else.

 

Like slow motion, the room rotates around Taako, sweeping in a big dizzy arc. He can see the dragon rear up onto his hind legs and spit another column of fire down at the group of mercenaries who are just struggling to stay alive. A few bodies litter the area, burnt and broken and unrecognizeable.

 

And he sees Magnus, axe raised, covered in a glimmering shield of magic, protecting him from the dragon's fire. He cuts down one of the bandits in a slashing arc, sending Taako into a moment of nostalgia that warms his heart in the midst of all this.

 

He sees Magnus's eyes turn to him, locking with him in the midst of the chaos, and he watches as the human lurches forward as he feels a rivulet of blood run down the side of his head from the blow he'd taken moments ago. He sees Magnus open his mouth, and hears him scream long and drawn out, but he can't hear a word he says.

 

And then the breath is stolen from him all at once as a piercing pain takes him from behind. Eyes roll down to see the blade sticking through his chest, cutting the leather band of the medallion Lup had found for him on their Second Best Day Ever. Even with all the chaos, he hears the clink of it as it hits the ground, and when the blade is pulled back through the hole if left behind, he follows.


	17. Chapter 17

The sunshine of this plane is a welcome change from the last few horrible cycles they've been through, Taako thinks to himself as he lays on a hillside with the tall purple grass swaying around him. There are no clouds here, but the tree with its spiraled branches and long swinging fronds shelters his eyes from the sunlight as he lies beside Magnus.

 

"Hey, Taako," Magnus says. The elf looks over at him. "When all this is over, whenever that is. How do you want to die? You know, for real?"

 

It's a surprisingly morbid question for Magnus to ask him out of the blue. He rolls up on his elbow with a frown. "Why do you ask?"

 

"I dunno," Magnus shrugs, turning his head to look up at Taako. "I was just thinking about it. I think I wanna go in a huge blaze of glory. You know, something memorable."

 

Taako just laughs, and flops back over onto his back in the grass. "You do you, homie. Taako's gonna live forever."

 

The grass fades away to hard stone as he stares up at the drow standing over him, his  blood dripping off the knife. All the sounds of the fight and the dragon have faded away, his hearing overtaken by the dull thud of his heartbeat, and the rattle of his breath in his throat. With one leg crooked beside him and his arm limp over his stomach, all he can do is watch the drow circle him, his mouth moving, but no sound reaching Taako's ears.

 

Blood seeps into his hair and his head tips to the side. He sees the pendant, and his heart clenches as his remembers his sister picking it up out of a chest while looting and remarking how pretty  it would look, on him. She'd kissed his forehead, then. They don't kiss eachother often enough.

 

When he reaches dully for the medallion, exhausted, hoping to find some comfort in a piece of his other half, he sees the drow's boot come down on top of it, and he flinches as he hears a crack make it through the slow thumping in his ears. Wet eyes roll back up to look at the furious drow, screaming soundlessly at him, spit flying from his mouth as something strange happens to him. The medallion, cracked under his boot, starts to climb his leg with a vivid blue light, shining up through his body. He staggers back in confusion, dropping his knife, looking down at his hands as they fill with blue light that climbs up his arms and fills his chest and shines out his eyes.

 

Lifting one shaky hand, Taako curls his fingers and extends the others in the symbol of a gun, and with a smug, dying sound, he smirks with pink teeth and says,

 

"Booyah."

 

Fire _explodes_ from his fingertips like a bomb. The drow doesn't even have time to open his mouth and scream, he's obliterated so completely that there aren't even chunks left to rain back down as the fire arcs over the ceiling, taking that blue glow with it and filling the room to the brim with a gorgeous, spectacular light. It coalesces into a beam that shoots down from the ceiling and hits the soul stone beside Taako.

 

In an instant, with a crack like a thunderclap, the stone surges back up to its full size, huge and broad and massive. Every single person has stopped in shock to stare at the light as the piles of gold begin to glow from within, including the dragon. With a rumbling like thunder, the gold begins to avalanche down from the piles, vibrating across the floor and rolling over the edge of the cavern, bouncing down the mountain below as the dragon's true horde is revealed, hidden beneath mounds upon mounds of decoy gold.

 

 _Robots_. Hundreds of them, all sprawled in piles. Big ones, small ones, some powerful and some lithe, and each and every one of them lighting up as they climb out and untangle. A massive robot steps up to Taako, standing over him in a protective stance, wieling the long, broken leg of another robot like a club.

 

Like a pack of wolves, the robots descend. The bandits run immediately, those that remain hightailing it out of the cavern and scrambling down the path down the mountain, as the robots climb the dragon and start pulling it apart like piranhas.

 

The last thing Taako hears before he blacks out is a synthetic voice above him that says, "I knew we could count on you."

 

===

 

When Magnus recounts that day to people for years to come, he never bothers to exaggerate, as many people are wont to do with fantastic stories over the years. He never does, because he never _has_ to. The truth is far more spectacular than anything he could have come up with to embellish the story with.

 

When he tells the story, he describes the way Taako looked in the moment right before that drow sank his blade in his chest, and how lying on the ground, he liquified him with a fire spell so magisterial that a _dragon_ stopped to take notice. He tells the story of how they never knew the medallion around Taako's neck was good for one get out of jail free card, how its purpose was to be broken to undo any powerful magical spell. The ultimate magical maguffin, worn carelessly around his neck, broken even more carelessly by a drow who always thought he could get away with doing whatever he wanted to whoever he wanted.

 

He likes it better, though, when Taako tells the story.

 

Taako wakes up with a start in a tent so packed with people that at first he thinks he's at the bottom of a pile of bodies. The nearest face to his is Clifford's, who immediately sits back in relief when his eyes open, flanked on either side by Rembrandt and Magnus. The roar of relieved cheers that splits the tent a second later, Taako can feel in his _bones_.

 

He startles, and shuts his eyes, groaning when the sound pounds into his sensitive ears and the chatter starts up wholeheartedly, talking all at once as Taako tries hard to register everything. He barely remembers what happened last before he passed out. He pats at his chest frantically, relieved with a sagging sigh at the solid, but tender flesh. He's not dead.

 

As the cheers die down and Taako surveys the room more closely, he turns to Magnus and reaches out to hold his hand. He doesn't know what to say first. _Are you okay? Is the dragon dead? Where's the Soul Crystal?_

 

What comes out is a slurred, but steady, "I'm so fucking hungry, Maggie."

 

Magnus sobs a laugh and pulls the elf up into his arms. It takes a while for everybody to disentangle and make it out of the tent, pouring out into the campground as Magnus situates the sleepy elf in his arms so he can carry him outside.

 

The camp itself is in quite a state. Piles upon piles of gold, jewels and other treasures are all scattered about in sorted piles, while a massive hock of what can only be the dragon's thigh is being slowly rotated on a giant metal spit over the fire. Every single mercenary is draped in jewels and trinkets, laughing joyously.

 

And between them, several robots are scattered, who all immediately snap to attention when they see Taako emerge from the tent. Magnus sets him down on a seat by the fire, and one of the mercs slices off a big strip of perfectly cooked dragon meat and hands it off to Taako on the end of a knife as the largest of the robots approaches.

 

"Taako," it speaks, giant hands clasped in front of it. "On behalf of our guardian who was lost in the fight back on our homeworld, I thank you personally. My name is Magistrate Atreyus Kannon. As I understand it, you're responsible for saving my people. We cannot thank you enough."

 

Taako takes a bite of the meat-- tough, a little like pork, but good, and chews while the android speaks. He raises a hand up and shakes his head, knees drawn up close to his body.

 

"No need to. It wasn't just me that got it-- and-- uh-- uhh-- and saved you. As much as I'd love to, I can't take... I can't take credit for that." Taako tries a smile, but it doesn't reach his eyes. He brushes back limp bangs from one side and drags the river of platinum over a shoulder on the other, chowing down on the food. He's finished quite quickly and motions for more. "All of these fellas helped, and my family too. Sorta my fault you guys were lost so long in the first place."

 

"It's not Taako's fault," Magnus is quick to defend, and chooses his words delicately. "We were... tricked into giving up the crystal a long time ago. We were only just now able to track it down."

 

"Thank you for that," the robot magistrate says. "Thanks to you, we can continue our lives. We'll mourn the ones that didn't come with us, and rememebr them fondly."

 

"What's next for you guys?" Magnus asks as he carves off another, even bigger piece of meat with the knife, holding it back out for Taako.

 

The magistrate looks up towards the mountain. "First we're going to finish rounding up all of that useless gold for these fine people," he says, gesturing to the celebrating mercenaries. "We don't have any use for it, after all. Then we'll just... wander, I suppose. Try to find a new place to settle down."

 

"Think you could shake a little of that useless gold our way?" Magnus asks, sitting down beside Taako, so close their legs touch.

 

The robot gives something like a laugh. "Without a doubt."

 

"That's what I like to hear, m'man," Taako quips, winking at the robot before delving into his piece, grateful. The elf leans heavily against Magnus, and it's such a relief, having him be close. Be safe. Taako looks around at the merry men perusing the piles of treasure and back to the spitroast, watching the flames with a blank expression.

 

"Where's the crystal right now? Is it safe?" he asks, thoughtful. It took so much effort and so much pain to retrieve it. Maybe they can have a cleric bless it, give some protection to the gem. Taako takes another bite, and flops his head against Magnus' shoulder, eyes never leaving the orange tongues.

 

"Yes, it's safe," the magistrate says. "We'll craft some kind of cart to carry it with us, and when we find a place to settle down, we'll give it a new home, and a new guardian."

 

"I'd recommend Goldcliff," Magnus says, looking up at the robot, winding his arm around Taako. "They could use a bunch of robots like you, I think you guys would find a fulfilling life there."

 

"Thank you for the recommendation," the magistrate nods. "Hopefully we'll cross paths again soon."

 

With that, he turns away from the fire and leads the rest of the robots down the path back up to the mountain. Magnus watches him go for a while, and then wraps his arm tighter around Taako, pressing his nose into his hair and just breathing in his scent. His brow creases again and he opens his eyes, chasing away the vision of that blade piercing Taako's chest. He's pretty sure he's going to see that on repeat every time he closes his eyes for the rest of his life. Sleeping for the last few nights has been hellish while they waited for Taako to wake up.

 

"I'm so glad you're okay," he whispers, kissing Taako's temple. "I don't know about you, but I think I'm all adventured out for a while."

 

"Yeah? It's been a pretty wild ride, I gotta say. I don't think my head appreciates this adventure too much," Taako jokes, relaxing against him. He feels hollow, a little. There's no more purpose, nothing to focus on. "I think this calls for one helluva Me-day sorta deal, don't you think, Mags?"

 

He laughs and places a hand on Magnus' chest, turning ever so slightly towards the fighter and opts to rest against the crook of his shoulder and arm, moving to rest his legs over Magnus as well. It's the most bold Taako's been in public with any sort of affection, and he finishes the slice Magnus gave him.

 

"Did you all seriously fucking loot the dragon? Without me? You're going to have to make up for that one, darling."


End file.
